In Disney’s 1977 film Pete’s Dragon, Mickey Rooney’s character runs around singing, “A dragon! A dragon! I swear I saw a dragon!” As the town drunk, however, everyone laughs it off, which is likely what many of us would do today if someone claimed a dragon sighting. But there was a time when the existence of dragons wasn’t in question, and even prominent leaders and explorers claimed to have seen them.

Legends of dragons were given credibility when historical figures added their firsthand accounts to the tales. People sincerely believed that the winged lizards existed because of the trustworthy nature of these figures. Whether they mistook another creature for the mythical beasts, or embellished their stories for attention, these historical figures all claimed to have seen dragons.