Count Dracula is the
title character and main
antagonist of
Bram Stoker's 1897
Gothic horror novel
Dracula. He is considered to be both the prototypical and the archetypal
vampire in subsequent works of fiction. He is also depicted in the novel to be the origin of
werewolf legends. Some aspects of the character are believed to have been inspired by the 15th-century
Romanian general and
Wallachian Prince
Vlad III the Impaler, who was also known as Dracula. Other character aspects have been added or altered in subsequent popular fictional works. The character has subsequently appeared frequently in
popular culture, from films to animated media to breakfast cereals.