The most common place to encounter a vampire today is in the Young Adult Fiction section of your local bookstore, or in the movies and television shows that are inspired by these novels. But, to the peoples of southeastern Europe, where the dead have long been believed to have the ability to harm living, the vampire is something far more serious.

In this episode, we will explore the stories -- well-documented by historians, priests and surgeons -- of three men from the 17th and 18th centuries who lives, and whose continued appearances after death, were the inspiration for much of what we believe about vampires today.