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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Vishwam Sankaran

The real Count Dracula? Genuine ‘tears of blood’ found in testing of Vlad the Impaler’s letters

A new chemical analysis of the 15th century prince Vlad III, also known as Vlad the Impaler, revealed the terrifying military leader’s health conditions that likely inspired the creation of the literary vampire character Count Dracula.

The new study, published recently in the journal Analytical Chemistry, found that Vlad probably had skin and respiratory conditions and could have even cried literal tears of blood.

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