THE SCENE: The 15th century ruler Vlad the Impaler, popularly known as Dracula, seems to have fully earned his reputation as a bloodthirsty psychopath.
THE TEXT: He had a great cauldron made, and over it were placed boards with holes, and he had people’s heads shoved through there, and thus he had them imprisoned. And he had the cauldron filled with water, and a great fire made under it. And thus he had the people scream miserably until they were boiled to death.
– Die Geschicht Dracole Waide, 15th Century AD