Conversation so far:
when does the masque of the red death take place
The Masque of the Red Death, originally written as a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, takes place in the 1820s during the time of the bubonic plague.
what is the bubonic plague
The Bubonic Plague is a sometimes fatal infection with the bacterial toxin Yersinia pestis, transmitted by fleas from rodents and characterized by high fever, weakness, and the formation of buboes
when was the masque of the red death published
The Masque of the Red Death, a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, was first published in 1842.

Question: what was the disease in the story inspred by
Self-contained rewrite: what was the disease in masque of the red death inspired by