Change of Vampires

I was not aware that vampires had a history dated to the medieval times. I always thought that the beginning of the vampire legend began with Dracula and Transylvania. I was able to see that Dracula was just a version of vampires, and the legend of the vampire was created way before him. I also heard legends of Vlad the Impaler, but did not know that he was considered a national hero. Its extremely interesting how the legend of the vampire developed from medieval times to now. Now they are brought into culture even as a form of entertainment, such as Twilight. Back then they were mostly feared, but today they are considered fascinating in many ways.