******Special Thanks to Beth for allowing me to use these facts she found.******
The following is a list of documented "real vampires" or individuals displaying vampire-like attributes:
1431-1476 - Vlad Tepes, Prince of Wallachia. Long-presumed inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula, there is much evidence supporting the incarnation of Tepes as the fictional Count, including many passages from the original book that place the Count in Romania during Tepes' reign.
1560-1614 - Erszbet (Elizabeth) Bathory. Believing blood had rejuvenating properties, Bathory bathed in the blood of virgins. It is estimated she killed more than 50 girls to retain her youthful appearance. When caught, she was imprisoned in a room in her estate and several years later died, completely alone.
16th century - Gilles Garnier, France. Murdered females and drank the blood for nourishment. (The Vampire Encyclopedia, Matthew Bunson, 1993).
16th century - Clara Geisslerin. Accused of witchcraft and vampiric-type activities.
18th century - Peter Plogojowitz, Hungary. After being dead for 10 weeks, it was reported Peter had visited people at night and vampirized them. (Vampire, The Complete Guide to the World of the Undead, Manuela Dunn Mascetti, 1992).
1727 - Arnold Paole, Meduegna, Serbia. Johann Flückinger documented case called Visum et Repertum (Seen and Discovered) about Arnold Paole, a young man who told tales of vampires abroad and then died after falling off a cart. He was reportedly seen after the burial and when exhumed officials staked the corpse. (Vampire, The Complete Guide to the World of the Undead, Manuela Dunn Mascetti, 1992).
19th century - Sergeant Bertrand, France. A necrophiliac who frequented cemeteries (The Vampire Encyclopedia, Matthew Bunson, 1993).
1867 - The Portuguese sailor James Brown is caught on a fishing boat in Boston Harbor drinking blood from the neck of another sailor, the second of two men he slaughtered that day. He was placed in an insane asylum, after his death sentence was commuted by President Andrew Jackson, and commenced to attack inmates.
1883-1931 - Peter Kurten, Düsseldorf. "The Vampire of Düsseldorf" was a(n) hematodipsiac (erotic blood drinking) who was turned in by his wife, convicted and executed for many murders. (The Vampire Encyclopedia, Matthew Bunson, 1993).
1879-1925 - Fritz Haarmann, Germany. "The Hanover Vampire" cannibalized his victims and bit them on the throat. After being executed for his crimes, his brain was removed and given to scientists at Göttingen University for study. (The Vampire Encyclopedia, Matthew Bunson, 1993).
19th century - Antoine Leger, France. A singular case of vampirism, Leger, an old soldier, mutilated and violated a young girl in every way concievable, including drinking her blood. (The Book of Vampires, Dudley Wright, 1973).
19th century - Vincenzo Verzeni, Bottanaucco, Italy. Sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, corpse mutilations, and vampirism. (The Vampire Encyclopedia, Matthew Bunson, 1993).
19th century - Miss Rose, Placedale, Rhode Island. Exhumed by her father because he believed she continued to "exhaust the vitality" of her family. He cut out and burned her heart. (The Vampire, In Legend and Fact, Basil Copper, 1993).
19th century - Mercy Brown, Exeter, Rhode Island. *Important note: Mercy Brown may be the same case as the immediate preceding entry of Miss Rose. Although I am unable to verify the information at this time, proceed with the assumption that these two cases, documented here, are one and the same.* All five family members, George Brown (father), Mary (mother), Olive (sister), Edwin (brother), Mercy (presumed vampire) succumb to "consumption" and are at one point exhumed by townspeople to check for vampirism. Only Mercy Brown, the youngest of the siblings, is found in seemingly perfect condition without evidence of decomposition, so the townspeople cut off her head.
1910 - Salvarrey, Galazanna, Portugal. A young girl was found exsanguinated and the only suspect was Salvarrey who confessed he was a vampire.
20th century - John George Haigh, Crawley, Sussex. A clearly delusional psychopath who drank human blood and dissolved the bodies in sulphuric acid to dispose of any evidence. (The Vampire, In Legend and Fact, Basil Copper, 1993).
For an extensive list of modern day vampires, please refer to "The Vampire Book, the Encyclopedia of the Dead," 1999 by J. Gordon Melton.
Compiled by David J. Skal, V is for Vampire, 1996.
Hematomania (or hematodipsia): a blood fetish. Sexual pleasure and other psychological needs of persons with this condition are met by the regular consumption of human blood, occasionally in conjunction with the eating of human flesh.
Hemophilia: one or more of the plasma proteins needed to form a clot is missing or reduced. A long-misunderstood condition that may be responsible for some vampire legends.
Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia: Two of the many symptoms responsible for the disease's vampire stigma is the deformation of teeth—front teeth and incisors are stunted by this rare disease, causing the canines to appear large and sharp—and the unhealthy pallor with darkened circles around the eyes. A rare inherited multisystem disorder that belongs to the group of diseases known as ectodermal dysplasias. Ectodermal dysplasias typically affect the hair, teeth, nails, and/or skin and is primarily characterized by... heat intolerance... abnormally sparse hair... and absence (hypodontia) and/or malformation of certain teeth. Many individuals with HED also have characteristic facial abnormalities including a prominent forehead, a sunken nasal bridge (so-called "saddle nose"), unusually thick lips, and/or a large chin. The skin on most of the body may be abnormally thin, dry, and soft with an abnormal lack of pigmentation (hypopigmentation). However, the skin around the eyes (periorbital) may be darkly pigmented (hyperpigmentation) and finely wrinkled, appearing prematurely aged. In many cases, affected infants and children may also exhibit... decreased function of certain components of the immune system... scaling, itchy (pruritic) skin rashes (eczema).
Hypopigmentation: an abnormal lack of pigmentation. In some literature and legends, the vampire is marked with an ashen pallor. This is extremely pronounced when accompanied with the darkened skin around the eyes (periorbital).
Pemphigus Vulgaris: a chronic version of Pemphis, severe bleeding sores. Diseases characterized by the formation of successive eruptions of large blisters on apparently normal skin and mucous membranes often in association with sensations of itching or burning and with constitutional symptoms.
Porphyria: sensitivity to light. Metabolic disorder caused by an enzyme deficiency that inhibits the synthesis of heme, ... characterized by an extreme sensitivity to light.
Rabies: bacterial infection caused by infected animal bite. People with rabies would bite others and manifest animal-like behavior, and had an unquenchable thirst.
Renfield Syndrome: psychiatric term for vampirism. Characterized as a mental disorder with a blood fetish.
Sezary's syndrome: bleeding sores. A rare disease that is characterized by the presence in the blood and in the skin of numerous large atypical mononuclear T cells with resultant widespread exfoliation of the skin.
Xeroderma Pigmentosum: a rare genetic defect in ultraviolet radiation induced DNA repair mechanisms. Characterized by severe sensitivity to all sources of UV radiation (especially sunlight).