10 Individuals Who Achieved Remarkable Feats (Despite Not Being Real)

Achieving success is far from simple. To leave even the slightest mark on history, one must be gifted, resolute, and willing to rise before noon.

But is that really true? While we're often taught that only the great and virtuous rise to prominence, the reality is that you don’t need to be particularly intelligent, charismatic, or even significant to make waves. In some instances, you don’t even have to be real.

10. The Invisible Politician Who Ascended to a Government Position

The year 2007 was a remarkable one for Andre Kasongo Ilunga. At just 34, he had climbed from a small, obscure town to become the Minister of Foreign Trade in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s first democratically elected government. Handpicked by the prime minister, he was even dubbed “the rising star of Congolese politics.” Naturally, it caused a huge uproar when it was revealed that he didn’t actually exist.

Before his first day on the job, Andre apparently sent Prime Minister Antoine Gizenga a resignation letter, but didn’t deliver it himself. Instead, it was handed over by his party leader, Honorius Kisimba Ngoy, only for them to be told that Andre’s resignation could only be accepted in person. That’s when it became clear that Ngoy had fabricated Andre as part of a scheme to secure himself a spot in the cabinet.

When asked to provide two names from his party for a single position, Ngoy figured his best chance was to simply invent the second person. The plot backfired, however, when the prime minister decided even a nonexistent candidate would be more effective than Ngoy and appointed Andre instead.

To this day, Ngoy insists that Andre was real. Presumably, he’s just exceptionally, exceptionally shy.

9. The Fictional Man Who Founded A Religion

Not many can say they’ve created a religion recognized worldwide. Laozi is one of the few. A philosopher from sixth-century B.C. China, he is said to have grown disillusioned with the cruelty and excess surrounding him, dedicating his life to writing a book that praised simplicity. That book would become the foundational text of a little religion called Taoism, and the rest, as they say, is history. Except for the part where it’s all a complete fabrication.

Laozi’s book couldn’t have been written by just one person. While some of the wisdom within it dates back to his time, others come from centuries after his supposed era. There is also no solid evidence of his existence. The primary account of his life wasn’t written until around 500 years after his supposed death, and even that account is filled with outlandish stories, like his supposed encounter with Confucius.

None of this takes away from the core ideas of Taoism. Those ideas had a profound impact, regardless of their origins. In fact, they become even more remarkable when you realize they were created by a mere figment of someone’s imagination.

8. The Phantom Who Became Albania’s Second-Greatest Writer

Let’s take a bit of a risk here and guess that most readers can name (at most) one Albanian author: Ismail Kadare. But in the ’90s, another name briefly gained attention in literary circles.

Jiri Kajane was a hot sensation on the US literary scene. Prestigious journals eagerly published his stories, and well-known publisher Granta was seriously considering offering him a book deal. His work appeared in prestigious outlets that frustrated online writers can only dream of, and critics called him “Albania’s second-greatest living writer”—until they discovered Kajane was as fictional as the characters in his stories.

Instead of offering a glimpse into the mundane realities of Albanian life through the eyes of someone who lived it, it turned out the stories were simply two American men’s interpretations of what life in Albania might be like. Astonishingly, serious publishers snapped them up without ever checking if their author actually existed.

Kajane’s work is still available for purchase today, although the publishers have wisely stopped calling him “the second-greatest living writer.”

7. The Fictional Saint Who Inspired A Holiday

We’ve all heard of St. Valentine. The patron saint of kisses and cheesy, made-up holidays has inspired plays, hymns, poems, and even a song by David Bowie. He’s one of Catholicism’s most famous figures—and he’s about as real as Scooby Doo.

The common narrative suggests there were at least three Valentines, and we, the misguided modern generation, have lost track of which one we are supposed to honor. But even this often-repeated claim doesn’t stand up to close examination. There are no contemporary records that mention any St. Valentine.

The first known account appears about 300 years after the supposed martyrdom of the man and is so unreliable that it could have been written with a bright blue crayon. As for his status as the patron saint of lovers, the earliest mention we have of that comes from Chaucer, who most likely invented it for narrative ease.

One theory suggests that Pope Gelasius fabricated the story entirely to provide the Church with a holiday that could rival the popular pagan celebration of Lupercalia. That theory might not be true, but at least it’s more grounded in reality than St. Valentine ever was.

6. The Military Mastermind Who Never Existed

We’ve all heard of The Art of War. A book on military strategy written by General Sun Tzu in Ancient China, it is now primarily known for being read by sociopathic middle managers and sports coaches. If you’ve made it this far, you can probably guess where this is going: There’s a very strong possibility that the author never existed.

According to numerous scholars, both ancient and modern, the writing style of The Art of War completely clashes with the period in which it’s said to have been written. To add to Sun Tzu’s likely fictitious legacy, there are incredibly few contemporary records that mention anyone resembling him, and none that describe him as a military genius. In fact, the most detailed military history of the time doesn’t mention him at all.

5. The Imaginary Student Who Helped Bring Down Communism

On November 17, 1989, thousands of Czechoslovakians flooded Prague’s Wenceslas Square to demand an end to communism. Among them was 20-year-old math student Martin Smid. When the authorities regained control of the square in a violent rampage, he was unfortunate enough to be caught in the chaos of riot police. There, in front of countless witnesses, he was beaten to death, his lifeless body abandoned on the cold pavement.

For the majority of the public, this tragic event was the tipping point. The tale of young Smid ignited the Velvet Revolution, leading to the fall of the old regime within days. It wasn’t until after the dust had settled and democracy was restored that people realized there had been no corpse—and there was no Smid at all.

The entire narrative was a complete invention, created by a Czech activist and passed along to the Western media by a typically reliable source. However, in the charged atmosphere of 1989, it felt all too real—and that was enough. Smid’s story directly motivated around 10 million people to stand up for their freedom when they needed it most. Without him, the end of communism in the former Czechoslovakia may not have been as swift or as peaceful.

4. The Fake Poet Who Inspired The Real One

Said to be discovered by James Macpherson in 1762, the poems of Celtic warrior Ossian were claimed to be from the third century. In truth, they were merely fragments of Irish ballads that Macpherson had pieced together, blending them with excerpts from Homer and Milton, and passed them off as authentic. Despite this, they had a profound influence, even directly inspiring the Romantic Movement.

Even if you’re unfamiliar with poetry, you’ll recognize the Romantics. Lord Byron, William Blake, William Wordsworth, and Samuel Coleridge all acknowledged Ossian’s influence. In Germany, Goethe essentially founded German literature in tribute to Ossian’s work. Meanwhile, Thomas Jefferson, with unknowing irony, called him “the greatest poet that ever existed.”

3. The Imaginary Man Who Created Literature

Homer was the towering figure of Greek culture. As the author of the Iliad and Odyssey, he didn’t just write two of the most important works in history; he essentially created Western literature. Without Homer, books as we know them wouldn’t exist. Go ahead, pick a book from your shelf, and unless you're deliberately being difficult and choosing Gilgamesh, it wouldn’t be here without him. Now, take a guess at how likely it is that he was a real person?

That’s right: The chance of a historical Homer existing is nearly nonexistent. It’s more plausible that the texts were shaped by many storytellers over the course of several centuries. His name might have been added to these stories simply because of his legendary status, as a way of honoring him.

2. The Phantom King Who Shaped A Continent

Seven hundred years ago, the world was a much smaller place. Most people’s understanding of the Earth was likely confined to a three-mile radius, so when rumors surfaced about an immortal Christian king ruling over a lost paradise far away, they were met with curiosity rather than skepticism.

In 1145, Christian crusaders began spreading tales of a magical ruler named John who had defeated their Islamic foes in battle. Believing they had found a powerful ally, expeditions were launched to search for him, sparking a new wave of European exploration.

Today, historians suggest that many significant explorations between the 12th and 18th centuries were directly influenced by the myth of Prester John. It’s even believed that his legend shaped the very mindset of Europe at the time. If true, it could mean that this entirely mythical king had a bigger impact on the formation of modern Europe than any real monarchs.

1. The Female Pope Who Sparked The Reformation

We’ve previously touched on the tale of Pope Joan, the enduring conspiracy theory that a woman ascended to the Papacy while posing as a man. While it is now widely accepted that Joan was a fabrication, her legend didn’t go unnoticed. During the Reformation, the mythical Pope was co-opted as a ludicrous anti-Catholic propaganda tool.

Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Protestant writers churned out pamphlet after pamphlet, using the Pope Joan myth to attack their Catholic foes. The entire continent of Europe became embroiled in the debate, fueling the intense cultural wars that were ravaging the region. As late as 1901, the legend was invoked in England to smear papists and criticize Rome. The myth even made a comeback in 2005 with an ABC special.