These Five Horrific Historical Tales Prove That Truth Is Often Stranger Than Fiction

In 1889, the year of Adolf Hitler's birth, German artist Franz von Stuck painted "The Wild Chase," which portrays a dictator (that looks a lot like Hitler...) leading an army of corpses through Germany. It is also said to be Hitler's favorite painting as a child. 

Union Army Major Henry Rathbone is best known for trying to save Abraham Lincoln after he was shot by John Wilkes Booth, and he reportedly blamed himself for the President's death. While serving as a consulate in Germany,  he tried to kill his children but his wife was able to stop him. He then fatally shot her, before stabbing himself five times. He was sent to live in an asylum, where he eventually died, while his children were sent to live with their uncle in the United States. 

A woman named Locusta terrorized Ancient Rome by killing people with poisons she concocted. She was arrested for murder and faced execution, but was pardoned by Nero, who asked her to poison his 13-year-old stepbrother, Britannicus. She was rewarded with a villa, which she turned into her murder lair. 

Pennsylvania senator Budd Dwyer was convicted of bribery in 1986. One day before his sentence, he called a news conference in Harrisburg, where he shot himself in the head in front of reporters. The suicide was broadcast all over Pennsylvania. 

Joan of Arc was loved by all and is considered a historical heroine. But what people don't really talk about is her brother, Gilles de Rais, who was a serial killer of children. It was believed he murdered as many as 140 children in order to resurrect a demon named Barron. He is said to be the inspiration for the 1967 fairytale Blue Beard by Charles Perrault.