September 13, 2025 • 5 mins
This Halloween season, Tony takes you deep into the terrifying history of Vlad the Impaler, the real-life figure who inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Known for his brutal tactics and chilling reputation, Vlad’s reign of fear in 15th-century Wallachia left a legacy drenched in blood and horror. Was he a national hero, a sadistic monster, or both? Discover the true story behind the myth, filled with betrayal, torture, and a legend that still haunts our nightmares. Tony narrates this spine-chilling journey into the life and dark legacy of history’s most infamous ruler.
#VladTheImpaler #Dracula #ParanormalPodcast #HalloweenSpecial #TrueHistory #DarkLegends #HauntedHistory #TruthBeTold #TonySweetNarrates #ClubParanormal
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-be-told-paranormal--3589860/support.
#VladTheImpaler #Dracula #ParanormalPodcast #HalloweenSpecial #TrueHistory #DarkLegends #HauntedHistory #TruthBeTold #TonySweetNarrates #ClubParanormal
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-be-told-paranormal--3589860/support.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, truth seekers, this is a Halloween edition of Truth
Be Told Paranormal. I'm your host, Tony Sweet. Now, when
you hear the name Dracula, you probably picture a pale
vampire in a cage, things dripping with blood. But behind
a legend lies a real man, a man who's cruelty,
savagery and taste for blood made him one of history's
(00:22):
most terrifying rulers. Yes, his name was vad the Impaler,
and tonight wor'll explore his life, his crimes, and how
he became the inspiration for one of the greatest monsters
in history. This is the true story of Dracula. Now
I want to tell you my encounter with Vlad or Dracula.
(00:43):
I had a chance of traveling in twenty twenty three
too Budapest, and I got to visit the Dracula Labyrith.
It's located beneath the Buddha Castle, where the historical Vlad
the Impaler, the inspiration of Dracula, was reportedly imprisoned and
tortured by the Hungarian king. It was an experience, and
I always suggest that that would be something that you
(01:05):
stop and see if you're ever in Budapest. But let's
get back to the origins of Dracula. Vlad was born
in fourteen thirty one in Transylvania what is now Romania.
His father was Vlad the second Drakul, the Dragon. He
was a member of the Secret Order of Knights, sworn
to defend Christianity against the Ottoman Turks. Young Vlad took
(01:27):
his father's name. He became Dracula, son of the Dragon,
but his childhood was no fairy tale. At age eleven,
Vlad and his brother was taken as hostages by the
Ottoman Empire. They spent years in prison, learning the cruelty
of war, betrayal, and survival. When Vlad returned home, his
world had changed. His father and older brother had been
(01:49):
killed by rivals. Vlad would fight his way back to power,
becoming the Prince of Wallashia, but what he did with
his power would etch his name into history. Bladd earned
his infamous name the Impaler from his preferred method of execution.
He would have long wooden stakes sharpened, and his enemies,
(02:09):
sometimes thousands at a time, were impelled alive. The stakes
were set up right a grizzly forest of death, and
it was left for everyone to see witnesses says the
victims withered for hours, even days, as they slowly slid
down the pole. Vlad staged these executions not just for punishment,
but for terror. The Ottoman Sultan's army once marched into
(02:33):
Wallachia and found a forest of impaled over twenty thousand
corpses lying the road. The soldiers were so horrified they
turned back without a fight. This was Blad's power, fear
itself and at work now. Vlad's cruelty didn't stop at impayment.
Stories spread that he delighted in blood. German pamphlets of
the time claimed Vlad would dip his bread into the
(02:55):
blood of his victims. Others whispered that he drank it.
Historians debated whether these accounts were propaganda or the truth,
but what mattered was the legend. Vlad became a monster
in the minds of his enemies, and centuries later, when
an Irish author named Brahmstroker Sound Familiar searched for a
villain for his Gothic horror novel, he stumbled upon this
(03:17):
real life prince of Darkness. Thus Dracula was reborn, not
just a man, but a vampire. Well, Vlad's reign was
very short but brutal. He enforced his rule with terror
on everyone peasants, nobles, and invaders alike. Legend tells us
that he invited hundreds of nobles to a feast. After dinner,
(03:38):
he had them all impelled on the spot, their bodies
still twitching as he finished his meal. Another tale describes
how he executed beggars and the poor, claiming that he
was purifying his land. And yet some Romanians today see
him differently. To them, Vlad was a hero, defending his
home from the Ottoman Empire with ruthless efficiency, but even
(03:59):
his allies feared him, because how do you stand behind
a man who builds his kingdom on corpses. In fourteen
seventy six, vladd met his end. Some accounts differ. Some
say he was betrayed by his own men, others that
he fell into battle against the Turks. His body was
reportedly cut into pieces, his head sent to the Constantinople
(04:21):
as proof of his death. But here's where the mystery deepens.
When his supposed grave was opened centuries later, it was
found empty. To this day, no one knows where Vlad's
body lies, So the legend grows that Dracula. Dracula the
Impaler never died. Vlad the Impaler left behind a divided legacy.
(04:42):
To some, he was a national hero, a symbol of resistance.
To others, he is one of the cruelest tyrants in history.
But to the world he will forever be Dracula, the
man who became the monster. On dark knights in Transylvania,
where castles crumble on the mountain side and bats swirl
through the mist, the people still whisper his name, because
(05:02):
sometimes truth is scarier than legend. So this Halloween dresses Dracula.
You can either be a hero or a monster, your choice,
but thank you for joining me today for this Halloween
special of truth be told. The vampire may be fiction,
but the man who inspired him was real, and perhaps
that's the scariest truth of all. Well, if you enjoy
(05:25):
tonight's story, don't forget to subscribe and share and follow
us at the Club Paranormal on Instagram, Subscribe to our
YouTube channel, share this show. We love having you guys,
comment and leave your thoughts. Well, until next time, remember
the truth is closer than you think. Happy Halloween.
Well, truth seekers, this is a Halloween edition of Truth
Be Told Paranormal. I'm your host, Tony Sweet. Now, when
you hear the name Dracula, you probably picture a pale
vampire in a cage, things dripping with blood. But behind
a legend lies a real man, a man who's cruelty,
savagery and taste for blood made him one of history's
(00:22):
most terrifying rulers. Yes, his name was vad the Impaler,
and tonight wor'll explore his life, his crimes, and how
he became the inspiration for one of the greatest monsters
in history. This is the true story of Dracula. Now
I want to tell you my encounter with Vlad or Dracula.
(00:43):
I had a chance of traveling in twenty twenty three
too Budapest, and I got to visit the Dracula Labyrith.
It's located beneath the Buddha Castle, where the historical Vlad
the Impaler, the inspiration of Dracula, was reportedly imprisoned and
tortured by the Hungarian king. It was an experience, and
I always suggest that that would be something that you
(01:05):
stop and see if you're ever in Budapest. But let's
get back to the origins of Dracula. Vlad was born
in fourteen thirty one in Transylvania what is now Romania.
His father was Vlad the second Drakul, the Dragon. He
was a member of the Secret Order of Knights, sworn
to defend Christianity against the Ottoman Turks. Young Vlad took
(01:27):
his father's name. He became Dracula, son of the Dragon,
but his childhood was no fairy tale. At age eleven,
Vlad and his brother was taken as hostages by the
Ottoman Empire. They spent years in prison, learning the cruelty
of war, betrayal, and survival. When Vlad returned home, his
world had changed. His father and older brother had been
(01:49):
killed by rivals. Vlad would fight his way back to power,
becoming the Prince of Wallashia, but what he did with
his power would etch his name into history. Bladd earned
his infamous name the Impaler from his preferred method of execution.
He would have long wooden stakes sharpened, and his enemies,
(02:09):
sometimes thousands at a time, were impelled alive. The stakes
were set up right a grizzly forest of death, and
it was left for everyone to see witnesses says the
victims withered for hours, even days, as they slowly slid
down the pole. Vlad staged these executions not just for punishment,
but for terror. The Ottoman Sultan's army once marched into
(02:33):
Wallachia and found a forest of impaled over twenty thousand
corpses lying the road. The soldiers were so horrified they
turned back without a fight. This was Blad's power, fear
itself and at work now. Vlad's cruelty didn't stop at impayment.
Stories spread that he delighted in blood. German pamphlets of
the time claimed Vlad would dip his bread into the
(02:55):
blood of his victims. Others whispered that he drank it.
Historians debated whether these accounts were propaganda or the truth,
but what mattered was the legend. Vlad became a monster
in the minds of his enemies, and centuries later, when
an Irish author named Brahmstroker Sound Familiar searched for a
villain for his Gothic horror novel, he stumbled upon this
(03:17):
real life prince of Darkness. Thus Dracula was reborn, not
just a man, but a vampire. Well, Vlad's reign was
very short but brutal. He enforced his rule with terror
on everyone peasants, nobles, and invaders alike. Legend tells us
that he invited hundreds of nobles to a feast. After dinner,
(03:38):
he had them all impelled on the spot, their bodies
still twitching as he finished his meal. Another tale describes
how he executed beggars and the poor, claiming that he
was purifying his land. And yet some Romanians today see
him differently. To them, Vlad was a hero, defending his
home from the Ottoman Empire with ruthless efficiency, but even
(03:59):
his allies feared him, because how do you stand behind
a man who builds his kingdom on corpses. In fourteen
seventy six, vladd met his end. Some accounts differ. Some
say he was betrayed by his own men, others that
he fell into battle against the Turks. His body was
reportedly cut into pieces, his head sent to the Constantinople
(04:21):
as proof of his death. But here's where the mystery deepens.
When his supposed grave was opened centuries later, it was
found empty. To this day, no one knows where Vlad's
body lies, So the legend grows that Dracula. Dracula the
Impaler never died. Vlad the Impaler left behind a divided legacy.
(04:42):
To some, he was a national hero, a symbol of resistance.
To others, he is one of the cruelest tyrants in history.
But to the world he will forever be Dracula, the
man who became the monster. On dark knights in Transylvania,
where castles crumble on the mountain side and bats swirl
through the mist, the people still whisper his name, because
(05:02):
sometimes truth is scarier than legend. So this Halloween dresses Dracula.
You can either be a hero or a monster, your choice,
but thank you for joining me today for this Halloween
special of truth be told. The vampire may be fiction,
but the man who inspired him was real, and perhaps
that's the scariest truth of all. Well, if you enjoy
(05:25):
tonight's story, don't forget to subscribe and share and follow
us at the Club Paranormal on Instagram, Subscribe to our
YouTube channel, share this show. We love having you guys,
comment and leave your thoughts. Well, until next time, remember
the truth is closer than you think. Happy Halloween.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com