Jure Grando Alilović, who died in 1656, is potentially the first person in history to have been described as a ‘vampire’. According to legend he would rise from his grave at night and terrorise the small village in Croatia where he had lived.
The legend describes a 16 year period following his death where villagers would receive knocks on their door in the dead of night, and within a few days someone within that household would die. Alilović’s widow also reported seeing her dead husband at her bedroom window, she claimed that he sexually assaulted her, and had an expression on his face like he was smiling and gasping for breath.
The village decided to dig up Alilović’s corpse after living with this terror for 16 years. When the exhumed his body they found that he was perfectly preserved and had a smile on his face. They initially attempted to stab him through the heart, but allegedly the stick could not penetrate his skin. One of the villagers then decided to behead him, and began to saw off his head. The legend states that as soon as the saw tore his skin Alilović screamed and blood started pouring from the wound. Once he was decapitated the nightly terror stopped.