Historians describe Richard the Lionheart as “a bad son, a bad husband, and a bad king, but a gallant and splendid soldier”. But the reality is more complicated.
When Edward VII’s mistress heard that he was ill, she rushed to the gate of Buckingham Palace, waving a letter from Edward to gain entrance. The guards finally relented—but when they heard what she did inside, they regretted that decision.
As a young man, a friend told Casanova that he was bound to pay the price for his depraved lifestyle eventually. Casanova laughed him off—unaware that his friend's words would come true in the most gruesome way possible.
Peter the Great revolutionized Russia—but at a terrible price. He crushed rebellions with a ruthlessness and bloodlust that Russia hadn't seen since Ivan the Terrible. But nothing could ever stain his legacy more than the worst thing he ever did.
