Claim: Giacomo Casanova was a person.

Giacomo Girolamo Casanova -LRB- -LSB- ˈdʒaːkomo dʒiˈrɔːlamo kazaˈnɔːva -RSB- or -LSB- kasaˈnɔːva -RSB- 2 April 1725 -- 4 June 1798 -RRB- was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice . His autobiography , Histoire de ma vie -LRB- Story of My Life -RRB- , is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of the customs and norms of European social life during the 18th century .   As was not uncommon at the time , Casanova , depending on circumstances , used more or less fictitious names , such as baron or count of Farussi -LRB- the name of his mother -RRB- or Chevalier de Seingalt -LRB- pronounced Saint-Galle , as in French -RRB- . He often signed his works Jacques Casanova de Seingalt after he began writing in French following his second exile from Venice .   He has become so famous for his often complicated and elaborate affairs with women that his name is now synonymous with `` womanizer '' . He associated with European royalty , popes , and cardinals , along with luminaries such as Voltaire , Goethe , and Mozart . He spent his last years in Bohemia as a librarian in Count Waldstein 's household , where he also wrote the story of his life .