Bran, Transylvania &#x002013; 14 October, 2017: This Medieval castle in the center of Romania is believed to have once held Vlad the Impaler prisoner. The infamous Romanian ruler was immortalized as the inspiration for Bram Stoker&#x002019;s 1897 novel, &#x00201c;Dracula,&#x00201d; and thanks to this loose link to the famous vampire, Bran Castle is popularly known in the region and beyond as &#x00201c;Dracula&#x002019;s Castle.&#x00201d; Bran Castle was built between 1377 and 1388 atop a strategic site overlooking a heavily trafficked mountain pass between Transylvania and Wallachia, the land over which Vlad the Impaler ruled in the 15th century.