In this article, the reader will learn about Vlad Tepes, or as we know him as Vlad the Impaler. After reading this, the reader will know what made him who he was and what made him terrifying, his wives, his children, his successes, as well as some background information about his father and the man he invented Dracula, the vampire we all know today. Vlad the Impaler was well known for punishing people who defied him by impaling them on a pole and raising them in the city square, earning him the name Tepes, meaning The Impaler, he often had poles arranged in geometric patterns. Most of the time he would place them in a ring around the city he was attacking, the height of the stake indicating their rank. People could be impaled for almost any crime, from lying to stealing to killing. He also used other means of torture such as cutting off limbs, strangling them, skinning them, and boiling them alive ((Internet) “Vlad the Impaler.” 2014. January 23, 2014. http://www.vladtheimpaler.info/). Impalement was and is one of the most gruesome ways to die a person could imagine. Vlad would normally keep each limb of the person he was impaling attached to a horse as the stake was slowly forced into the body. The stake was oiled and made sure it wasn't too sharp, so they wouldn't die from the shock. The stake was usually inserted into the body through the buttocks, but not always. Sometimes it crossed the chest or abdomen. Sometimes children were impaled on the same stake as their mother ((Internet) "The Impalement." 2014. January 29, 2014. ). In 1462, Vlad launched a campaign against the Turks along the Danube River, even though they had a more powerful military force under the command of Sultan Mehmed II. Even if the sultan is...... middle of paper ......://www.vladtheimpaler.info/the_campaign_against_the_turks.html>."The massacre of the boyars." 2014. January 29, 2014.."The Wives of Vlad the Impaler." 2014. January 29, 2014.."Descendants of Vlad the Impaler." 2014. January 29, 2014..Miller, Elizabeth. "Order of the Dragon." 2005. January 31, 2014..Johnson, David. "Dracula: the terrifying truth | infoplease.com." 2007. January 27, 2014..Miller, Elizabeth. "Dracula, myth and history." 1996. January 31, 2014.."Bram Stoker." January 29th 2014..