Dracula, an evil Transylvanian count, is reputed to be the lord of the vampires.

The name Dracula may have come from a count called Vlad the Impaler. In his lifetime, the Romanian word for devil or dragon is ‘drac,’ and this was applied to Vlad. Vlad’s father had joined the Order of the Dragon, and Dracula means son of the dragon, or son of the devil. It is thought Vlad was born in 1430. Vlad ruled with a reign of terror in the countryside. He later built a castle in the foothills of the Transylvania Alps.

Dracula is thought to inhabit an old and crumbling castle, and be the most evil of all vampires. He is supposed to live with three wanton female vampires, known as the Brides of Dracula. Count Dracula was thought to have come to England upon a ship. During a fierce storm, a ship ran aground at Whitby. All crew and passengers were apparently dead, and a huge dog was seen running from the ship. Dracula, like many vampires, could assume an animal form if need be.

Count Dracula shares many characteristics with other vampires, including long black hair and pale skin. He bites his victims, who then become vampires, in the neck, and drinks their blood.