Sometimes I’m surprised to learn that a person I assumed was only fictional actually existed. People I’ve been surprised to learn were real over the years include
Pilot Major John Blackthorne (though his real name was William Adams, he was fictionalized less in Shogun than most people are in Hollywood biopics)
Robinson Crusoe, though fictional, was based on the real Robinson Crusoe
Who are some other people mainly famous as fictional characters who in fact either really existed (at least by that name) or are very closely based on somebody who existed?
Star of way too many episodes of Scooby Doo, [Blackbeard](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbeard, Edward Teach/Thatch) is quoted from his diary in the sig. line of a poster here.
Serial killer/fairy tale evil murdering husband Bluebeard was born with the name Gilles de Rais. (Note: his real life slayings were beyond TMI, by far.)
For some stupid reason, when I was a kid, I was very surprissed to hear that Erik the Red, the man who discovered Greenland was real. Probabley because his name was over-used in cartoon, like in the case of Blackbeard.
While there is no doubt a lot of exageration in the matter, there’s also no doubt that Prince Vlad did some fairly dispicable things. The impalings which gave him his nickname are, as far as I can tell, more or less non-contraversial - if, perhaps, exagerated in scope.
Much more recently, a lot of people seem to think that most of the people on HBO’s Deadwood are fictional, but in fact most of them are real; not just Wild Bill and Calamity Jane but also Al Swearengen, Steth Bullock, Sol Starr, and others.
Well, somebody was whooshing somebody, or trying to, because the cite that jumps immediatly to mind is Cecil’s own, which I would normally love to triumphantly dangle over a moderator except it’s more likely he was only kidding.
I think the jury’s still out on Robin Hood too. There were a couple of “Robin Hood’s” listed for around the same era, but where or not any of them were “the” Robin Hood is undecided.
I was surprised to find out that Learned Hand was not only a real name, but a real judge as well.
“The mid-day sun is too much for most eyes; one is dazzled even with its reflection. Be careful that too broad and high an aim does not paralyze your effort and clog your springs of action.” is one of his quotes that seems relevant to my own life. His favorite quote, “I beseech ye in the bowels of Christ, think that ye may be mistaken.” comes from Oliver Cromwell (of all people), and I think it really ought to be inscribed over all buildings, religious and otherwise.
(His full name is Billings Learned Hand, but Learned Hand is how he’s universally known. He had a cousin named Augustus Noble Hand, also a judge.)
