who created vampires
The first known writer of this idea to be really well known by English speakers was Bram Stoker, with his novel DRACULA, loosely based on the life of Vlad the impaler. But there was another not as well known story, called 'Barney the Vampire' corney but true, which was written before Dracula. I think this was based on the true story of a Russian man who went around attacking women and drinking their menstrual blood (sick yes).