Erzsébet Báthory de Ecsed (more commonly known as Elizabeth Bathory) was a prolific female serial killer of the 16th century and one of the most vilified women in the entirety of history. She was pronounced a noblewoman in the Kingdom of Hungary, her family being one of the richest at the time; owning vast amounts of property in both Transylvania (now Romania) and the Kingdom of Hungary (known as Hungary and Slovakia). As a result of her royalty, her crimes and tortures of young servant girls went unnoticed for approximately forty years, although, in our contemporary society, Elizabeth Bathory has provided inspiration for many books, films, and characters such and Countess Dracula.