Conveniently timed with the premiere of "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," some industrious genealogists discovered that (kind-of) vampire star Robert Pattinson is related to the notorious Vlad "Dracula" the Impaler.

Basically, Pattinson's family is related to the British royal family by a marriage in the 16th century. In turn, the British royal family can claim descent from Dracula's brother Vlad IV. Essentially, Dracula is Queen Elizabeth's 14th great-uncle.

(The British royals are also related to an even more torture-minded Slav, Elizabeth Bathory. So that gory scene in "Hostel II" where Heather Matarrazzo is bled like a stuck pig? You have Prince Harry's great-great-great-twice-removed-something-or-other to thank for that.)

Thing is, regarding the Pattinson-Dracula connection, we're not talking about blood relatives here. So if "related to" doesn't necessarily mean "shares DNA with," all bets are off. Half of the U.S. presidents can claim a relation to British royalty, from George Washington to George W. Bush.

Keep reading to see other notables connected to Dracula via the British royal family.

Hillary Duff
General Robert E. Lee
Barack Obama
Paris Hilton
Bill Gates
The Marquis de Sade
Goethe
Elvis
The Red Baron
H.P. Lovecraft
Humphrey Bogart
Princess Diana
Bear Grylls
Jane Austen
Lawrence of Arabia
Dick Cheney

If you really want to put the fun in your family tree, consider this: One genealogist estimates that everyone in the West is descended from Charlemagne. Therefore, you can probably claim that you're "related" to Dracula -- though you'd also be "related" to Ted Bundy, Megan Fox and, alas, the CEO of BP. Oh, and the person you're sleeping with. Sicko.

Kristin Romey is an anthropologist and explorer who funds her expeditions by writing about freaky science and history for the Asylum crowd.