Scientists believe they have found the tomb of real-life Dracula - a brutal Romanian leader linked to modern vampire fiction and films - in the centre of Naples in Italy.
Nicola Barbatelli, director of Italy's Museum of Ancient Populations, and brothers Giandomenico and Raffaello Glinni, claim to have found the final resting place of Count Vlad Tepes, the so-called Dracula, in the heart of Naples, 'The Local' reported.
Researchers have used historical documents to link "Vlad the Impaler" to a cloister in Piazza Santa Maria La Nova, in Naples, according to the Italian newspaper II Gazzettino.
The cruel nature of Tepes, who inspired Bram Stoker's 1987 novel, was well-known in the 15th century, when he punished his enemies by impaling them alive on stakes.
Historians believe that Tepes was killed on a road between Bucharest and Giurgiu, Romania, during an offensive to reconquer Wallachia from its pro-Ottoman Turk ruler Basarab Laiota.
Some theories suggest that the body of Tepes was buried near Bucharest, in the island monastery of Snagov.
Another theory states that Tepes was buried in Comana monastery in Romania which was demolished and rebuilt from scratch in 1589.
However, researchers in the new study claim that Tepes was in fact taken prisoner in 1476, ransomed to his daughter - by then safe in Italy - and buried in Naples.
