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I found an interesting article about Vlaad the Impaler, the man most often credited with being the inspiration for the fictional Dracula.

Interestingly though the article never mentions some of his more colorfull aspects.  For example he got his name from his habit of impaling people on 3 meter iron stakes, up through the anus and out one of the shoulders.  He got the process down to a fine art where he would intentionally miss all the important internal organs so the victim would die a slow agonizing death. He used this punishment for even the slightest infraction amongst his subjects (stealing bread etc...).  When everybody in his kingdom learned not to commit slightest infractions Vlaad ran out of victims and he started "disappearing" people at random. The people were in such a state of terror that Vlaad flaunted it by placing a golden chalice near the fountain in the center of the city.  Anybody could use the chalice to drink from the fountain but if they took it, well, they knew what the consequences were going to be.  

Of course the article that I linked to suggests that these stories were perhaps exaggerations or outright fabrications but to me the depth of these legends suggests their veracity.  Who knows?  You be the judge.

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