I deleted this the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories word for word Moriarty in turn was based upon the real life criminal mastermind Adam Worth It s not wrong but if Eliot was inspired as seems the case by Doyle it makes no difference who Moriarty was based on for Eliot wasn t drawing upon Worth Leaving it in struck me as somebody trying to show how smart they were knowing that about Moriarty want to know about him go to Holmes or Moriarty PS if I put that in to begin with as I vaguely recall doing I was stupid