From beyond the grave.... the Monk speaks...
The Mad Monk was, originally, the name given to Rasputin, the onetime confidante of the Russian Tsarina and healer of the Tsarevich, who was afflicted with haemophilia. He foresaw the end of the Russian Empire in his prophetic statement;
If I should die by the hand of a peasant, the monarchy will prosper. Should I die at the hands of nobility, the Royal Family will not survive the year
He was assassinated by a noble plot. The Bolsheviks executed the Tsar and all the Royal Family in the October Revolution of 1917.
The prophecy was confirmed.
When I studied Modern History in school I was attracted to the story for many reasons. Not least of which was; Rasputin was an outsider in his own community. Shunned by all who knew of him, save the Tsarina, who herself fell under suspicion for her friendship with him. It was clear that, to an outsider, his motives were for the good of the Russian people.
I myself, due to my disability, occasionally felt when I was young, that I was an outsider. Due mainly to ignorance, or an unwillingness to learn. I found people would stare at me, rather than ask me the questions on their minds.
A secondary concern, rather flippant, was that I am slightly odd, and <G> celibate. Sort of. Mad + Monk seemed at the time. to be appropriate.
Again, because of the disability, I have always been a bit of a non-conformist. Comes from school when I was told once that I should "Not make a spectacle of myself and not draw attention to the disability." This, to a Taurus, was quite literally, a red rag to a bull. I went out of my way to draw attention to myself and haven't really got out of the habit yet :-)
Besides, Rebel is easier to type :-)
And so, the Rebel was born....