Lindsey Graham

Poe, the famous tomahawk man, had criticized Griswold's work years earlier, and Griswold never forgave him.

Now he would get his revenge.

Griswold began the obituary by declaring that few would grieve Poe because he had few friends.

He vilified Poe as a man without honor who was consumed by madness.

He declared, he walked the streets in madness or melancholy with lips moving in indistinct curses.

Poe's friends challenged Griswold's account, but the narrative stuck.

Making matters worse, Griswold convinced Maria Clem to give him control of Poe's literary estate.

She was well aware of Griswold and Poe's personal disagreements, but her desperation for money won out.

She knew Griswold was an influential editor, and she badly needed the profits that would come from the publication of her son-in-law's works.

Griswold threw himself into publishing a collection of Poe's life works, which he brought out in four separate volumes.

For the third volume, published in September 1850, Griswold expanded on his obituary with a 35-page introductory biography of Poe, depicting him as a depraved lunatic and prompting some of Poe's fellow writers to come to his defense.

Imagine it's September 1850 in New York City.

You're mingling with your fellow writers at a literary salon.

You're one of the few women in attendance.

After a long evening, you set your glass down on a table, preparing yourself to leave when you spot the editor and literary critic Rufus Griswold.

He's standing in a corner, surveying the room with a glass of red wine in hand.

You weave your way through the crowd to approach him.

"'Good evening, Mr. Griswold.

I hope you're enjoying the salon.'

Griswold smiles politely.