How likely is it that the accusations against Elizabeth Bathory were true?

by headstoneinparis

It seems to be widely accepted in folklore that Elizabeth Bathory was a murderer, but would it have been possible in that time period for her to murder so many young women with impunity for that length of time? Were the charges against her trumped up in order to imprison her and usurp her property/titles?

DanKensington

While there is some room to doubt some details, there's also a fair weight of direct personal witnesses with a consistent story. More can be said on the matter of Erzsebet Bathory should anyone wish to address it, so more posts will always be welcome. For the meantime, we do have some previous posts on the case, both provided by u/orangewombat. Content warning for graphic descriptions of torture and murder in the linked posts. Read with caution.