The Real Dracula. Son of the Dragon, Vengeful Madman and Other Faces of Vlad Tepes

His enemies branded him a mad psychopath and “pole-axer,” while his supporters called him a ruthless but fair politician, and his subjects revered him as a great lord and hero who resisted the Ottoman Turks.

When the co-authors of this book first read Bram Stoker's novel “Dracula,” they doubted that the plot about a bloodthirsty vampire was merely a tribute to the traditions of the gothic horror novel. By studying the life history of the real Dracula, they confirmed their suspicions: contemporaries and historians referred to the real Vlad Tepes, the prototype of the famous vampire count, as both a “bloodsucker” and the “most interesting personality in history.” His complex, contradictory character was a product of his time, when feudal values and the power of the church had not yet been completely eradicated, and the value of human life was negligibly small.

After reading this captivating historical investigation, you will agree that compared to the real Dracula, the fictional vampire count seems rather pale!