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“Mad” King Ludwig led a forbidden double life. He entertained a succession of gay lovers and spent millions on fairytale castles and lavish works of art. Living in his own enchanted dream world, the king failed to see the enemies at his back—and it led to one of the most twisted ends in history.

Of all the famous survivors of the Titanic, Dorothy Gibson is the least known—and the most scandalous.

Anyone who thinks money, power, or fame can solve any issue has clearly never heard of the Grimaldis and the web of drama the royal family of Monaco has woven over just the last century. Although many may see all the tragedy and poor choices that each family member has suffered as an example of how power corrupts, others may posit a different—more supernatural—cause.

From the very beginning, Daisy and Violet Hilton were doomed to a heartbreaking end. As conjoined twins, their rise to fame was synonymous with exploitation and prejudice. Poked, prodded, and called "freaks" by audiences everywhere, they grew up in a world void of love. But that's not the saddest part. Just when the tide began to turn, the Hilton twins faced their most disturbing chapter of all.

King George VI was the spare—not the heir. Quiet and struggling with a speech impediment, few thought he had king potential. But fate, as it often does, had other plans. When scandal rocked the monarchy, he was thrust into the role no one thought he could handle. What followed redefined the nation, and the man who led it.

Joan of Arc was a young girl who met her moment. From an unassuming peasant background, her religious visions led her directly to the court of a French monarch, and on to some of the most dramatic battles in history. But her untimely end was as abrupt and explosive as her rapid rise.

Prince William of Gloucester was the world's favorite royal. The tall, handsome, and daring prince seemed more like a movie star than a royal. Sadly, that only made his tragic end in front of 30,000 horrified onlookers all the more devastating. So, who really was the other Prince William? From his reckless streak to his doomed love story, let's find out.

We have a very specific image of an 18th-century noblewoman: Elegant, dressed in the most decadent of dresses, and…white. Yet although Dido Elizabeth Belle had the bearing, breeding, and money of the finest ladies of her day, she was also a mixed race woman. Her very existence flew in the face of her culture’s prejudices, but Belle didn’t mind that one bit. In fact, this feisty aristocrat had one dramatic life.

Nearly 1,000 years of French Monarchy all led to Louis XVI. There were a lot of terrible kings in that time. Ruthless schemers, deranged madmen, and extravagant hedonists. Yet it was Louis XVI who paid for their crimes. So where did it all go wrong? How did Louis end up with his head lying at the base of a guillotine? Dive into this doomed monarch's dark history and find out for yourself.

The first thing most people notice about Ana de Mendoza is her eye patch—an odd accessory, especially for Spanish nobility in the 1500s. However, a deeper look into her life reveals that her signature eye patch is among the least remarkable of her eccentric, and at times, dangerously rebellious traits.

Any king who starts out as Charles the Beloved and ends up as Charles the Mad had something go seriously wrong along the way. Charles VI inherited one of the most powerful kingdoms in Europe—but as his mind grew more and more unhinged, his reign grew darker and darker, until he very nearly wiped France off the map. So what happened to King Charles VI of France? Let's find out.

When people hear the name Wolfgang Mozart, they probably think about Symphony No. 40 in G Minor—or at least a man in a powdered wig effortlessly conjuring magic at the piano. But what rarely comes to mind? His wife, Constanze Mozart. And yet, to overlook Constanze is to ignore a life just as fascinating, and perhaps even more daring, than that of her legendary husband.