Vlad III the Impaler, the ruler of Wallachia, is one of the historical figures who had great misfortune with 19th-century critics. Thanks to Bram Stoker's imaginative portrayal, we all know Vlad as Count Dracula.
Unfortunately, the films I am familiar with do not accurately depict Vlad's wonderful sense of humor, despite him spending his youth as a hostage on the sunny beaches of Turkey.
Once, when Dracula regained rule over Wallachia for the second time, ambassadors from the Ottoman Empire visited him. However, they refused to remove their caps, displaying a lack of respect. Vlad ordered the hats to be nailed down - onto the heads of the ambassadors, so the wind wouldn't blow them away. Bale-bale.
On another occasion, he gathered his boyars for a party, the same boyars who had previously betrayed his older brother and father. He asked them, "How many rulers do you remember?" When they answered vaguely, Vlad ordered the traitors to be impaled. Bale-bale.
In a case involving a hacker who stole 160 bitcoins from a merchant's online wallet, the merchant complained to Vlad. Dracula returned 161 bitcoins, and upon discovering the extra one, the merchant returned it to the ruler. Vlad stated, "It was a test. You are an honest man," and remarked that otherwise, he would have shared the fate of the hacker. Bale-bale.
Dracula, with his sense of humor, could easily leave a souvenir golden mug near a well, knowing that nobody would steal it. Bale-bale. Do you remember?
The negative stories about Dracula were invented by the Hungarian king, who received a contract from the Pope for a crusade against the Turks. Dracula had to fight alone and was later arrested on charges of embezzlement and other sins. Eventually, the king released Dracula, and he even married his cousin.
In the 19th century, Bram Stoker was fed this black PR by a certain Vambery during a dinner where spaghetti was served. Vambery, a Hungarian chauvinist, contributed to the negative portrayal.
Just in case: THE STORY, ALL NAMES, CHARACTERS, AND INCIDENTS PORTRAYED IN THIS PRODUCTION ARE FICTITIOUS!
The 1992 classic movie was so well cast that Monica Bellucci only had a cameo role as one of Dracula's brides.