Gregori Rasputin Pulling at his Beard

Russian mystic Grigori Efimovich (1872-1916), known as Rasputin, was a monk known for his debauchery and ignorance, who yet made his way to the court of the Tsar and Tsarina by finding ways to relieve the pain suffered by their hemophiliac son. He was revered as a holy man among the peasantry and the women of the royal court, but was suspected of exerting undue and "unclean" influence over the Tsarina. He was assassinated by a group of noblemen who believed Russia should be relieved of his destructive presence.