Original: The collaboration with Irving was very important for Stoker and through him he became involved in London 's high society , where he met , among other notables , James Abbott McNeill Whistler and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ( to whom he was distantly related ) .
Simplified: Through him he became involved in London 's high society , where he met , among other notables , James McNeil Whistler and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle .