Many legends involving Vlad Dracula focus on his attempts to make sure his people lived honestly and with respect. If one did not, one was subject to death or corporal punishment. One story purports that Dracula placed a golden cup on a fountain in the city of Tirgovite and told his people that anyone could use it to drink but no one was to steal it. It only takes one impalement to prove a point, and these people had seen their fair share. So the people never bothered to steal it, and there it sat during Dracula's entire reign. Vlads grisly nature may have also been sealed with his subjects through other legends that say he burned the poor and ill alive, as well as tested his employees with gold, only to have them impaled if they stole from him. For example, a Hungarian merchant once visited Vlad in his capitol of Tirgovite. To prove how honest his people were, Vlad instructed the merchant to leave his wagon full of gold in the city center. He was convinced that his people would not steal. To his surprise, the merchant claimed that 160 florins were missing in the morning. Vlad sent out soldiers to find the thief, then replaced the money with his own, adding one more florin than necessary. The merchant returned the extra florin while the thief was being impaled. Vlad told the merchant he would have been impaled if he had not told the truth. Then, they had breakfast by the dying thief, no doubt.
