Introduction: In 1896, in his work The Man of Genius, Lombroso presented a daring concept about key role of epilepsy in genesis of human genius. Aim of paper: The aim of this paper is to present the history of lives of some outstanding men and women afflicted by epilepsy and controversies associated with this diagnosis. Discussion: Mahomet most probably suffered partial seizures since his 4th decade and his visions were subsequently denoted by his followers. Some authors believe, that the heroic Jeanne d’Arc had epileptic seizures caused by an intracranial tuberculoma. A brain tumor might have been a cause of Julius Caesar’s epilepsy. Dostoyevsky had secondarily generalized seizures with ecstatic aura and used his epilepsy-associated experiences in his literary works. Personages of his books The Brothers Karamazov and The Idiot also suffered epilepsy. Based on an analysis of Dostoyevsky case, Freud suggested a neurotic background for his condition. Retrospective attempts at determining the nature of van Gogh’s illness include a dozen or so different diagnoses, of which epilepsy seems the most probable. Descriptions of partial complex seizures may be found in many letters by van Gogh to his brother Theo and are also reported by the artist’s doctor. Antiepileptic drugs available then and implemented by van Gogh (potassium bromide and digitalis) might have had an impact on his artistic output. Digitalis side-effects leading to visual disturbances are illustrated by his works Starry Night and Night Café. Flaubert, who suffered three types of epileptic seizures (partial simple, partial complex and secondary generalized), was considered by Sartre a hysteric. Flaubert’s epilepsy was probably caused by a congenital vascular malformation in the occipital lobe, which probably caused his death too.