Richard Dadd was once known as one of the era's best artists, and he would continue to paint throughout his lifetime — eventually, from within the walls of Bedlam.

It was 1842 when he was asked to accompany a Sir Thomas Phillips on his trip around the world, and the details aren't important. What is important is that Dadd became entranced by Egypt and Cairo, and after that, things seem to change. Headstuff described him as being in a "disturbed state" by the time he headed to Italy, and there, he came to believe he was being stalked by the Devil. When in Rome, he stepped right into the figurative fire.

Backing out of his plan to kill the pope, he fled back to London, went into seclusion, and that's when his father contacted a doctor who recommended he be committed. Instead, Dadd invited his father on a trip back to their hometown, where he murdered him in what he later claimed was a sacrifice to the old gods.

Dadd was arrested on his way to Austria, when — convinced it was time for another sacrifice — he tried to kill a passenger on his train. Insisting that the spirit of Osiris was using him to kill demons, it's not entirely surprising that he was extradited to England and committed to Bethlem Royal Hospital — Bedlam. He continued to paint — his work is in museums across Europe — and died in Broadmoor.

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