Count Dracula

Time and place: 15th century, Romania

Story: The aristocrat who lived in Transylvania and was a vampire. An antagonist of Bram Stoker's novel published in 1897.

Prototype: Vlad III Tepes, Prince of Wallachia in 1450's. History Man.

Interesting facts:

1. Tepes was a big fan of executions with stakes.
2. There is an anonymous German paper in 1463 which describes the many atrocities of the prince. Facts are not reliable but served as the basis for future legends.
3. Dracul means "dragon".
4. Stoker took his base because he had heard that the Tepes became a vampire after death. His body wasn't found in the grave and killed by him often cursed him before they died. The latter was enough in local folklore to become a vampire after death.