Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula (1428/31 - 1476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times. He is often considered one of the most important rulers in Wallachian history and a national hero of Romania. Notorious for his cruelty, his patronymic inspired the name of Bram Stoker's literary vampire, Count Dracula. Ambras Castle portrait, c. 1560).