The character in The Man Who Was Poe who is likely to spark the most interest is Edgar Allan Poe, the author who is often regarded as the greatest short story writer of all. The facts of his life are disputed; he did not help matters by sensationalizing some of his life in his letters. After his death, those who first wrote of his life, especially Rufus W. Griswold, Poe's literary executor, depicted him in a bad light. They did this to to sully his reputation—of which they were envious—but also to sell newspapers, sensational stories attracting large audiences then as they do now.

Poe was depicted as man thrown out of the army for drunkenness, as is mentioned in The Man Who Was Poe, and as a drug abuser whose drug-induced delusions inspired his tales and poems such as "The Raven...