Yes, Gilles de Rais is often thought to have inspired the chilling tale of Bluebeard, a story about a wealthy man who murders his wives and hides their bodies in a forbidden room. The parallels between de Rais's real-life crimes and the fictional Bluebeard's gruesome acts have led many to believe that the latter was modeled after the former, making de Rais's legacy even more macabre.