Vlad III the Impaler

Thought to have been the origin of the Dracula Legend, Vlad was the second son of Vlad Dracul, who ruled Wallachia in 1436. In order to ensure his father’s loyalty, Vlad and his younger brother Radu were held hostage by the Ottoman Empire for a time.

A few years later, both his father and older brother were murdered by John Hunyadi (the regent-governor of Hungary) when he invaded their territory in 1447. As a result of this, Vlad’s second cousin Vladislav was put in charge, starting a fight between the second cousins for control.