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Researchers believed to have found dungeon of Vlad the Impaler

Bram Stoker read the accounts of the Wallachian prince and used them to inspire his 1897 novel about the vampire Dracula where the tales of drinking the blood of his enemies were formed.

By Aileen Graef
The Ambras Castle portrait of Prince Vlad III/Wikipedia public domain
The Ambras Castle portrait of Prince Vlad III/Wikipedia public domain

TOKAT, Turkey, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Researchers in Turkey believe they have found the dungeons where Prince Vlad III, also known as Vlad the Impaler, was held in captivity in the 15th century.

Archeologists were restoring the castle when they found tunnels leading to what they believe to be the dungeon chambers.

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"We try to shed light on history with the structure layers we unearth," said archaeologist İbrahim Çetin, who said the chambers were "built like a prison."

"The castle is completely surrounded by secret tunnels. It is very mysterious," he told the Hurriyet Daily News.

Vlad III of Wallachia was reportedly born sometime between 1428 and 1431 in what is now Romania. In 1442, his father was called to a political meeting with Ottoman leaders where he took his son Vlad III and his brother Radu. The Ottomans then imprisoned all three in Tokat to guarantee the loyalty of Vlad II. Shortly after Vlad II and Radu were brutally murdered, Vlad III was released.

Vlad III then began impaling Ottoman invaders, ramming poles through their bodies, and then posting them on the city walls to warn other Turks from invading, leading him to be known as Vlad the Impaler. He was named Vlad Dracul after his father who was a member of the Order of the Dragon -- dracul.

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Bram Stoker read the accounts of the Wallachian prince and used them to inspire his 1897 novel about the vampire Dracula where the tales of drinking the blood of his enemies were formed.

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