History Main / FamedInStory

* Creator/DavidGemmell's heroes usually become famous when songs are written about their deeds. Druss, Waylander, the Earl of Bronze and the Thirteen are remembered long after they are dead.
** Ulric's big regret about Druss's death is that he will be cast as the villain of the stories that will be written about the siege. He did not know that his champion put poison on his sword and would have never allowed it but history will not remember it that way.

* Virtually all of Creator/SimonRGreen's heroes become this.

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* By Season 11 of WebAnimation/RedVsBlue, the Blood Gulch Crew's exploits have become well-known enough for a band of rebels to look up to them for inspiration and leadership.
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** This is one of the defining features of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''. Since it takes place over several years, [[PlayerCharacter Hawke]]'s exploits are talked about quite frequently. Their fame - or infamy, FromACertainPointOfView - carries over into the next game as well.

* Professor [=McGonagall=] rightly predicted that Literature/HarryPotter would "be famous. I wouldn't be surprised if today was named Harry Potter Day. There won't be a child in our world who doesn't know his name." Fulfilled (beyond RealLife) at the end of the saga, since Literature/TheTalesOfBeedleTheBard talks about "the seven volumes on the life of Literature/HarryPotter", hinting that they may have been published for real in the book's universe.

* Creator/MercedesLackey's ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' novel ''By the Sword'' starts with the teen protagonist Kerowyn going on a rescue mission alone to save her brother's fiancee. By mid-book "Kerowyn's Ride" has become a popular song. Three-quarters of the way through everyone she meets seems to know it... and half of them cannot sing.

* Practically every Grey Warden who kill an Archdemon, ending a Blight in the process in ''Franchise/DragonAge''. In an example, the grey warden Garahel, who ends the Fourth Blight; is still considered a renowned great hero 400 years after his death, EVEN with the fact that he is an elf, a race victim of FantasticRacism.
* This is one of the defining features of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''. Since it takes place over several years, your exploits are talked about quite frequently.

** Throughout each game, you naturally become more famous as you progress through the main quest, and often [[SidequestSidestory faction questlines]] as well, in most games in the series. By the end, many [=NPCs=] will respond to you with the awe a world-saving hero deserves. ([[DudeWheresMyRespect But not always]]...)

** Though this is also subverted, as some of Shepard's greatest achievements, [[spoiler: namely his/her victory over the Collectors and [[EldritchAbomination Reapers]]]] in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' [[TheGreatestStoryNeverTold is unknown to everyone]], though Shepard is still well known and respected/feared by everyone anyway, as they are still acknowledged as a humongously huge badass.

* In ''VideoGame/TwistedWonderland'', [[WesternAnimation/AliceInWonderland The Queen of Hearts]], [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 Scar]], [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989 Ursula]], [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} Jafar]], [[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs Queen Grimhilde]], [[WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} Hades]] and [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]] are known as 'The Great Seven', are the founders of Night Raven College, and are held in high esteem by the students and faculty of the school. They provide the background story for each of the school's dorms, and anyone who fits a certain quality of theirs gets sorted into their respective dorm.

* ''Franchise/StarWarLegends'':

* The ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'' (both Legends and Canon) has the PowerTrio and some of their companions become famed throughout the Galaxy Far Far Away, leading to this trope being referenced frequently after the Battle of Yavin, and especially after the Battle of Endor. Legends has Luke and Leia reach the apex of society as Jedi grand master and New Republic Chancellor, respectively, while Han Solo has to deal with being famous, but not quite ''as'' famous, as the other two and generally resentful of all the attention when he'd happily be jetting around the galaxy in the ''Falcon'' instead of attending state functions. Lando parlays his connections and reputation into a series of business ventures which any plot that involves him inevitably destroys. And Wedge, though a background character, has the distinction of being the only person in the galaxy to destroy ''two'' Death Stars, with all the hero worship and friction inherent for a guy who just wants to fly a starfighter and shoot bad guys.

** Played for laughs an ''Literature/XWingSeries'' novel. Mirax Terrik takes advantage of her father, Booster Terrik's, fame as a smuggler on several occasions to force merchants to either play fair with the Rogues or to even get them a discount. Then Corran tries to pull it ''himself'' when a buyer tries to outbid them while out shopping for parts with Mirax, only for Mirax to sheepishly interject to warn him the man they're bidding against ''is'' her father.
** In ''[[Literature/XWingSeries Starfighters of Adumar]]'', Wedge Antilles and Red Flight are sent to Adumar purely because they're famous pilots.
* Professor [=McGonagall=] rightly predicted that Literature/HarryPotter would "be famous. I wouldn't be surprised if today was named Harry Potter Day. There won't be a child in our world who doesn't know his name."
** Fulfilled (beyond RealLife) at the end of the saga, since Literature/TheTalesOfBeedleTheBard talks about "the seven volumes on the life of Literature/HarryPotter", hinting that they may have been published for real in the book's universe.

* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}''. Many characters know of Samus Aran's exploits. In ''[[VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption Prime 3]]'', many Federation soldiers are starstruck when you talk to them. And that's not even getting into the Space Pirates' [[TheDreaded immense fear of her]].

* In ''Animation/BreadBarbershop'', Bread Pitt is known both within Bakery Town and out for his haircutting skill, and many people from both backgrounds have gotten their haircut there.

* In ''Animation/BreadBarbershop'', Bread Pitt is known both within Bakery Town and out for his haircutting skill.

* In ''Literature/SonOfTheBlackSword'' by Creator/LarryCorreia, the hero is known as "Black Hearted Ashok" after twenty years service to the Protectors. [[DeTerminator He's earned it.]]

** There's also Gold Roger who is well known as the "King of Pirates".

* A major theme of Creator/BenCounter's ''Daemon World''. The narrator recounts legends rather than tell the straight story of anything. (Partly because that way contradictions can be introduced.)

* In Creator/WenSpencer's ''Endless Blue'', Hardin tells Mikhail that immortality is when people know your name millennia after your death. [[spoiler:Mikhail later threatens to eradicate all record of him if he does something.]]

* ''VideoGame/MaxBlasterAndDorisDeLightningAgainstTheParrotCreaturesOfVenus'': Max is well-known to the point of having licensed action figures that are even localized across the galaxy. Doris, however, is not recognized by the Xavians and is confused to be just Max's sidekick.

** By ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra, everyone'' from the original series is quite famous, though of course, Aang gets the biggest spotlight. Changing the Fire Nation from TheEmpire and a global, destructive threat to being a country peacefully working with the other nations is basically considered to be the work of the partnership of Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko. As for the current generation, Asami's goes from being the daughter of a captain of industry to ''being'' a captain of industry, Mako and Bolin were well-known athletes from the start (and as of Season 3, Bolin is famous as the world's first movie star), and as the son of Aang and head of the family that [[spoiler:(until Season 3)]] is currently all that remains of the Air Nomad civilization and Airbending itself, Master Tenzin is an important figure indeed. And Korra? Well, people either greatly respect her or want to kill her. (Comes with the territory, and we're ''not'' just talking about villains. For Aang, it's the actions of past Avatars, or for disappearing for a hundred years. For Korra, it's mostly the aftermath of Season 2, though there are ''also'' those who think Korra should solve ''everything'' and blame her for everything down to the last pothole in the street.)

** By ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra, everyone'' from the original series is quite famous, though of course, Aang gets the biggest spotlight. Changing the Fire Nation from TheEmpire and a global threat and restoring the world to peace is basically considered to be the work of the partnership of Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko. As for the current generation, Asami's goes from being the daughter of a captain of industry to ''being'' a captain of industry, Mako and Bolin were well-known athletes from the start (and as of Season 3, Bolin is famous as the world's first movie star), and as the son of Aang and head of the family that (until Season 3) is currently all that remains of the Air Nomad civilization and Airbending itself, Master Tenzin is an important figure indeed. And Korra? Well, people either greatly respect her or want to kill her. (Comes with the territory, and we're ''not'' just talking about villains. For Aang, it's the actions of past Avatars, or for disappearing for a hundred years. For Korra, it's mostly the aftermath of Season 2, though there are ''also'' those who think Korra should solve ''everything'' and blame her for everything down to the last pothole in the street.)

* In Jim Butcher's ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' novel ''Literature/DeadBeat'', Luccio gives this as a reason [[spoiler:to insist on Harry's becoming a warden]]; he's fought more evils than many wizards much older than him, and it's known. In later books, Harry notes that he thinks of it as part ShroudedInMyth because he remembers how close some of the things were. He doesn't seem to realise that ''only just'' raising a zombie Tyrannosaurus Rex is still a nigh-on Godly feat.

* In Creator/JasperFforde's ''Literature/TheEyreAffair'', this is Achron's motive.

** Played for laughs an ''X-Wing'' novel. Mirax Terrik takes advantage of her father, Booster Terrik's, fame as a smuggler on several occasions to force merchants to either play fair with the Rogues or to even get them a discount. Then Corran tries to pull it ''himself'' when a buyer tries to outbid them while out shopping for parts with Mirax, only for Mirax to sheepishly interject to warn him the man they're bidding against ''is'' her father.

* The Outcasts of ''{{Literature/Tasakeru}}'' will be "whispered of as legends" in the future, [[spoiler: up to 150 years or more after the events of the story.]]