You probably know him as the talented Irish author behind the timeless gothic horror novel Dracula. But did you know Bram Stoker was a total Chad? During his university career, he was an outstanding athlete, collecting prizes in shot put, high and long jumping, gymnastics, weightlifting and race walking.

Although Stoker says the inspiration for Dracula came to him in a dream, he also consulted books on legends, natural history texts and travelogues in preparation for writing his novel.

However, the author never visited Transylvania, the Romanian region that Dracula calls home. Instead, he spent time in the seaside resort of Whitby developing his ideas. Until his Whitby stay, Stoker’s character was going to be called ‘Count Wampyr’.