Dracula

Prince Vlad III, who ruled Wallachia in the 15th century, entered history with the nicknames Dracula - not only "Son of the Dragon," but also "Son of the Devil" - and Tepes, "The Impaler." In modern mass culture, his name is firmly associated with the image of a blood-sucking vampire, while in Romania he is celebrated as a folk hero, a fighter for the country's independence. Many legends about Dracula have survived, and there is little documentary evidence that allows us to recreate the biography of this extraordinary ruler, who lived at the turning point of eras, at the crossroads of the confrontation between the strongest powers of his time - the Ottoman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, Hungary, Poland.
Historian Vadim Erlikhman in his book explores not only the life of the real Vlad Dracula but also the development of the "black legend" about him from the popular pamphlets of the Renaissance to the latest Hollywood films. Inevitably, legends about vampires are also touched upon, although Dracula was only associated with them in the 19th century. Coincidence or not - it's a complex question that the author of the book also addresses.