15. Mozart was not a gambling wastrel poisoned by a jealous rival
The myths about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are nearly as many as his compositions, leading posterity to believe that he was a spendthrift, a gambler of little luck, a drunkard, a womanizer, and was poisoned to death by a rival. All are false. In fact the composer wrote with an eye on the paying audience and was a commercial success, one of the most famous composers in Europe during his lifetime. He died of an infection which was most likely related to streptococcus, which was prevalent in Vienna at the time, rather than from being poisoned, and his widow took immediate steps to ensure his work continued to be performed in the cities of Europe, leading to his enduring fame.