Who was Rasputin? The truth behind the legend of the Russian royal advisor.

Did you watch the 1997 classic “Anastasia” as a kid? We’re willing to bet the villain Rasputin – who sells his soul to kill the Romanov family in the movie – showed up in your nightmares.

Or maybe you know Rasputin from the 1978 hit “Rasputin” which called him “lover of the Russian queen.”

Whether you’re a history buff and know the facts about Rasputin’s relationship with the royal Romanov family or a novice looking to uncover the truth, here’s a quick retelling of his life and death.

Who was Rasputin?

Grigori Rasputin was a self-proclaimed holy man who was thought to have closely influenced the Romanov family, the last imperial dynasty to rule Russia.

Rasputin was born Grigori Yefimovich Novykh, a Siberian peasant who would later acquire the surname Rasputin because of his sexual promiscuity and heavy drinking. In Russian, “Rasputin” translates to “debauched one.” Some historians believe his religious practice was rooted in immersion in sin, meaning he felt he would be closer to God through sinful acts, TIME reports.

When he was 18, Rasputin underwent a religious conversion at a monastery and then returned to his hometown where he married and had children.

Rasputin left family life and made his way through Greece and Jerusalem where he gained a reputation for healing “powers” and an ability to predict the future. His travels took him to St. Petersburg in 1903, and two years later he was introduced to the royal family. Czar Nicholas and his wife Alexandra called upon Rasputin to heal their son Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia, a disorder where blood is unable to properly clot. Rasputin was supposedly able to stop Alexei’s bleeding and he quickly became a close advisor to the family per Alexandra’s request.

While much is debated about Rasputin’s mystic powers, historians speculate that Alexei’s bleeding actually stopped because Rasputin had the child stop taking aspirin, a known blood thinner.

According to Britannica, Rasputin’s licentious ways concerned people around the royal family but Nicholas refused to believe the whispers and removed influential figures from power if they spoke out against Rasputin.

Rasputin was rumored to have had an affair with Alexandra – although there is no historical evidence to support this.

Czar Nicholas took control of his military forces in 1915 during World War I and left the country’s affairs to Alexandra. As Alexandra’s advisor, Rasputin had more power than ever and even appointed his own ministers and public officials. This power, plus growing resentment toward Rasputin, inspired a group of Russian nobles to plot his murder.

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How did Rasputin die?

Rasputin was killed by a group of Russian nobles, including Prince Felix Youssupov (Czar Nicholas’ niece’s husband) and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich (Nicholas’ cousin) in December 1916.

The story goes that the nobles lured Rasputin to the Youssupov Palace and fed him food and wine laced with cyanide, which had no impact on him. They tried to finish the job by shooting him at close range, but he remained alive and attempted to escape. Finally, they shot him again, beat him, bound him and tossed him in the river. Only upon being thrown in the river did Rasputin die, or so the legend says.

But autopsy reports showed no poison in Rasputin’s system, only a single bullet to the head.

Rasputin’s death, as well as the mass murder of the entire Romanov family, has been heavily mythologized over the years. The Romanov family was executed by the Bolsheviks after the onset of the Russian Revolution led by Vladimir Lenin, which established the world’s first communist state. On the night of July 16, 1918, the royal couple and their five children hurried to dress and head to the cellar. With four of their servants, they were lined up under the pretense of taking a photograph to quiet rumors that the family had escaped. Gunmen burst into the room and killed the entire family, stabbing those who survived the initial shooting.

The family’s remains were found in a forest and identified in 1991, but two bodies were missing – Alexei and one of the daughters. Out of this came the story that Princess Anastasia had escaped and was still living. The two bodies were later found in a nearby grave and tested in 2007, confirming the bodies of the remaining Romanov children.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who was Rasputin? A look into his death, relationship with Romanovs.