Meet General Gregor MacGregor, the soldier whose name sounds like he could captain a whimsically named research vessel. By 1817, MacGregor had climbed the ranks to division general in the British Army. An eligible bachelor to be sure, but this man was a master of deception.

Armed with fluttering eyelashes and gleaming medals, MacGregor charmed hundreds into investing their life savings in his fictional paradise, Poyais. In 1822, 250 gullible souls set sail for their dream land, only to find a hostile jungle. Over half perished, with fewer than 50 survivors returning home in 1823.

Surprisingly, when tried for fraud in France, MacGregor slipped away scot-free and high-tailed it to Venezuela, where he was bizarrely hailed as a hero. In 1845, MacGregor was laid to rest with full military honors in Caracas Cathedral.