History knows rulers whose names have become symbols of cruelty. Was King John a pathetic jester or a calculating sadist? Henry VIII was famous as an athlete but may have been a closet psychopath. The biblical King Herod might not have committed all the crimes attributed to him. Caligula instilled terror in his subjects, while Nero became the hero of the myth regarding the Great Fire of Rome. This documentary project explores the biographies of tyrants. The authors separate legend from reality and reveal the true motives behind the behavior of these great monarchs.