Elizabeth Peters: BADASS!!
From a Q&A with Elizabeth Peters at Powell's:
Who are your favorite characters in history? Have any of them influenced your writing?
I have several favorite characters: Akhenaton the Heretic, Hatshepsut the Female King — and Richard III. He's a mystery writer's dream. Did he or didn't he? (Murder the princes in the Tower.) The clues are inconclusive and subject to endless debate. My fascination with him led me to write a book called The Murders of Richard III, concerning a group of modern-day Ricardians, as they call themselves, who have met to discuss their theories. The book offended the Richard III Society of England; they actually threatened to sue, and my British publisher caved in. They have now forgiven me, but to tell the truth I was rather thrilled to have a book that was too hot to be published.
I adore that book and I had no idea that that had happened. I'm all a-twitter and now I need to dig out my copy and re-read it.