Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia (modern-day Romania), was known as Vlad Dracula or Vlad the Impaler in the 15th century. He was a real person who was renowned for his brutal punishments, including impalement. Bram Stoker was inspired by Vlad's story to write his 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula, in which the vampire Count Dracula seeks to prey on humans. Stoker based the character of Dracula on Vlad Dracula but with supernatural elements of a vampire. The novel became very popular and led to Vlad being associated with vampires in modern culture.