Vlad Dracula, affectionately known as Vlad the Impaler, and Dracula the Vampire of story and legend is actually far different than the current iteration of his story. So let's dive into it. Vlad was born around 1430 and lived during the height of the Muslim conquest of Europe. He lived in what is modern day Romania but for him, his home was in the historical state of Wallachia, one of three such states with Moldova and Transylvania. All of these eastern European states were caught up in the ongoing struggle between the Kingdom of Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. However, Wallachia is the most immediately adjacent to the Ottomans and is in the forefront of all their attacks, literally the first stop on the way to Hungary or Moldavia. His father, Vlad II, was entangled in this conflict and his loyalties wavered between the Ottoman sultan and Hungary, depending on which power had overrun his small nation. It is at this point that historical records becom...