9. The Monstrous Prince of Korea
Crown Prince Sado (1735 – 1762) was the son and heir of Korean king Yeongjo. His father took little part in raising Sado, seldom seeing his son, and leaving his upbringing to courtiers who spoiled Sado rotten. On the few times the king visited his son, he demonstrated no affection, and berated him nonstop for his shortcomings. As a result, Sado grew up with serious Daddy issues, wildly swinging between desperation to please his father, and palpable terror of meeting him. Along the way, something broke inside the prince, and he turned into a world-class fiend.
Sado had extreme mood swings between dignity and probity one moment and turning serial murderer and rapist the next. When he got depressed, killing servants cheered him up, and on many a day, several dead bodies were carried out of the palace. He also enjoyed raping court ladies, and after murdering his favorite concubine in a fit of rage, he turned his sick attention to his own sister. Eventually, his father had enough, and decided he could not inflict his monstrous son upon his subjects. Executing a royal was taboo, so in 1762, the king had Sado locked up inside a heavy chest used for grain storage, and left him there to starve to death.