Among the many conflicting stories about the legendary Vlad Dracula that have circulated over the centuries, there are nine that turn up in almost all writings about him. They may be changed in minimal ways, but their core content, and thus the story they tell has remained essentially the same. Therefore, these are the ones that are accepted as truth. They are recounted here:

1. The Golden Cup

Although he had the heart and soul of a madman, known for his exceptional cruelty, Vlad Dracula or Vlad III had a strict moral code of conduct which he demanded his subjects follow. He had a passion for honesty and order and tolerated not the slightest deviation from this precisely determined path. As a result, thieves seldom dared to operate within his kingdom for the mere thought of being impaled alive sent shivers of terror up and down their spines. In what could be considered nothing less than an arrogant display of confidence, Vlad was so convinced that his reign of terror had overcome any defiance to his laws, that to prove it he placed a golden cup on display in the central square of Tirgoviste next to a fountain. Travelers could drink water from this cup, but it was never to be removed from the square. It never was. The cup was never stolen or damaged in any way throughout Vlad Dracula’s rule.

2. The Burning of the Sick and Poor

Another of Vlad Dracula’s rules, which he insisted upon complete obedience to was his demand that all his subjects work hard and contribute to the welfare of the kingdom. When it came to his attention that the large number of poor, homeless, beggars and lame in his country was steadily increasing he decided to do something about it. Since he had no use for these people and considered them worthless drains on society, he had no problem planning a horrible fate for them. He invited all the poor and sick in Wallachia to a great feast in Tirgoviste, under the pretense of taking care of his impoverished and helpless citizens. An enormous feast was prepared for them in the great hall. The unsuspecting guests ate and drank late into the night. At the completion of the feast Vlad ordered the hall boarded up and set afire, effectively turning the place into an inferno from which there was no escape.

3. The Foreign Ambassadors

Two ambassadors of an unknown foreign power visited Vlad at Tirgoviste. When in his presence, they paid homage but refused to remove their turbans due to religious reasons. Not one to tolerate what he considered an open sign of disrespect, Vlad ordered that the turbans be nailed to their heads, so that they should never have to remove them again. It is said that he watched with perverted pleasure as this was done and delighted in the screams of agony from his victims.

4. The Foreign Merchant

One day a merchant from a foreign land visited Tirgoviste. Trusting in the well-known honesty of Vlad’s country, he left a cart with some treasure in it unguarded in the street over night. In the morning, he was greatly dismayed to find 160 golden ducats missing. Learning of his loss, Vlad promised the merchant that his money would be returned. During the night he ordered that 160 ducats plus one extra be taken from his own funds and placed in the merchant’s cart. When he counted his money the next morning the merchant found that not only had the 160 ducats been returned, but an extra ducat had been added. He then returned to Vlad’s court and reported that his money had been returned as promised along with an extra ducat. Meanwhile, the thief had been captured together with the stolen money and imprisoned awaiting impalement. Vlad then informed the merchant that if he had not reported the extra ducat he would have been impaled alongside the thief.

5. The Lazy Woman

While riding by on horseback one day Vlad noticed a man working in the fields wearing a shirt that he deemed to be too short for him. Vlad stopped and asked to see the man’s wife. When the woman was brought before him he demanded to know how she spent her days. Quaking with terror, the woman managed to say that she spent her days washing, baking, cleaning, and sewing. Vlad then pointed to her husband’s shirt and stated that it was too short, evidence of her laziness and dishonesty. He promptly ordered her to be impaled, despite her husband’s objections that she was a good wife. Vlad then ordered another woman to marry the peasant but cautioned her to work hard or she would suffer the same fate.

6. The Nobleman With the Keen Sense of Smell

On St. Bartholomew’s Day in 1459 Vlad Dracula had 30,000 merchants and nobles of the city of Brasov impaled. Afterwards, he ordered that a table be set up among the forest of impaled corpses and a feast prepared and placed upon it. He then had his boyars join him for this grisly meal. While dining, Vlad noticed that one of the noblemen was holding his nose against the putrid smell of blood and rotting flesh. He questioned him about the reason for his action, then ordered the sensitive nobleman impaled as well, but this stake was to be higher than all the rest so that he might be above the stench.

7. Vlad Dracula’s Mistress

Vlad Dracula had a mistress. When the woman dared to lie to him and claim that she was carrying his child, he had the woman examined. When the suspected lie was confirmed as such, Vlad drew his knife and slit her open from groin to breast, leaving her to die in agony.

8. The Polish Nobleman

Benedict de Boithor, a Polish nobleman was enlisted by the King of Hungary to visit Vlad Dracula at Tirgoviste as his royal envoy in September of 1458. As they dined together one evening, Vlad ordered a golden spear brought in and placed directly in front of the royal envoy. Vlad then asked the man if he knew why this spear had been set up. Benedict replied that he imagined some boyar had offended the prince and that Vlad intended to honor him. Vlad responded that the spear had, in fact, been set up in honor of his noble, Polish guest. Benedict then replied that if he had done anything to deserve death then Vlad should do as he thought best. Vlad was greatly pleased by this answer, showered him with gifts, and declared that had he answered in any other manner he would have been immediately impaled.

9. The Two Monks

Two monks from a foreign land came to visit Vlad Dracula in his palace at Tirgoviste. Wanting to see their reaction, Vlad showed them rows of impaled corpses in the courtyard. When asked their opinions, the first monk responded, “You are appointed to God to punish evil-doers.” The other monk, although knowing that certain death awaited him for his defiance, had the moral courage to condemn the prince for his cruelty. Vlad rewarded the first monk for his clever lie, and impaled the honest one.