John Hopkins

In the early years of the 20th century, he operates internationally in ports, rail hubs, and industrial centers across Europe and Asia as a broker and entrepreneur.

And increasingly, he deals in information.

Later, when establishing himself as a spy of note, Riley will tell dramatic stories of this period, of slipping behind enemy lines, infiltrating naval installations, and playing dangerous games on the fringes of rival nations.

As ever with Riley, the legend is embellished, but not entirely invented.

It's clear by this stage that Riley is comfortable moving in volatile regions at moments of geopolitical tension.

In Manchuria in 1904, Russia and Japan edge towards conflict as they struggle for influence over Korea and northern China.

As tensions mount, Riley moves among contractors, railway officials, and naval suppliers, exploiting his access on multiple sides to study the details that will matter when war breaks out.

Apparently, in this time, he manages to secure sensitive information about Russian naval defenses and coastal positions, possibly even passing that intelligence to the Japanese.

Even at this stage, Riley understands the value of secrets, how they can be acquired, packaged, and resold.

By the early 1910s, he is spending significant time in St.

Petersburg.

He is also accumulating wealth, not to mention an extensive Napoleonic art collection, through both legitimate and nefarious means.

He may have married into money, but now he is building his own, and plenty of it.

As Europe slides towards war in 1914, Riley and his wife relocate to New York, where he begins to dabble in arms procurement.

Although naturally, he will later claim to have played a very different role in the war effort.

By 1917, Riley is prosperous and well-connected, moving in the same circles as financiers, diplomats, and arms dealers.

He is just as fluid in his private life, entering relationships with other women.

Inevitably, his marriage to Margaret, a partnership that once offered security and legitimacy, begins to fray.

Fed by the admiration of others, Riley begins to build a mythology around himself as a suave, confident, international man of mystery.

But that confidence is ruptured when Russia implodes.