Did they think they were dragons or sea serpents? Is their any record of someone with a “dragon” skull that turned put to be a dinosaur?
More can be written about this, but you might find pertinent a couple of articles in the FAQ section "Biology, evolution, and fossils" .
"Is it possible that dinosaur fossils played some role in the origin of dragon myths?" by /u/Dashukta
This is not to discourage discussion. Further questions, data, and debate are welcome.