When a Ruler Turns Deadly Stalker
Ancient China’s Prince Liu Pengli was a member of the ruling Han Dynasty. He was also the first notorious murderous stalker and serial killer in recorded history. In 144 BC, Emperor Jing, Liu Pengli’s cousin, appointed him king of the city of Jidong and its environs. That was bad news for the good people of Jidong, who would be ruled by Pengli for the next 23 years. Pengli preyed upon his subjects, and killed them for kicks and giggles and the sheer fun of it.
Pengli probably would have liked the Ramsey Bolton character from Game of Thrones. Like that fictitious character, Pengli liked to stalk and literally hunt human beings for sport. He stalked, hunted, and murdered at least 100 people for his amusement, and the true number of his victims was probably higher. His reign of psychotic terror lasted for over two decades. In that stretch, his subjects were too scared to come out of their homes at night. It only came to an end after one of Pengli’s victims finally screwed up the courage to travel to the imperial capital, where he complained to the emperor.