6. Casanova escaped from a Venice prison – in part by gondola
Famed as a womanizer to the point that his name remains synonymous with such activity, Giacomo Casanova was once sentenced to five years imprisonment in Venice for “public outrages against the holy religion”, among other charges. While in his cell he enlisted the help of a fellow prisoner (through threats), broke out of his cell, lowered himself over the wall using a rope of bedsheets, and seizing a conveniently located gondola escaped via the canals of Venice, eventually making his way to Paris. He left behind in his cell a note containing only a line from Psalm 117, “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord” (Vulgate).