9. Vlad the Impaler
Often cited as the inspiration for modern vampire myths, Vlad III is a ruler who created unimaginable terror for the country he presided over. Vlad the Impaler was Prince of Wallachia and took power in 1436. His childhood was rough as he and his brother were given as hostages to the Ottoman Empire as a token of loyalty. Stories of Vlad’s cruelties began to circulate during his lifetime, and poems such as Story of a Bloodthirsty Madman Called Dracula of Wallachia were recited before the Pope. His favorite method of dispatching his enemies was impalement. He once invited a large party of differing factions to a banquet, and the then stabbed and impaled all the guests, thus solidifying his power.
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