Question 3: Do time and distance impact someone’s popular perception?

Question 3: Does time and distance have a impact on people's popular perception?

Do historical figures get a reputation they don’t deserve? Many historical figures were not who historians said they were, like Ivan the Terrible, and Napoleon. Both of these men had leadership positions like Alexander, and Napoleon fought other countries to gain land.

Ivan the Terrible got his "terrible" reputation because Ivan’s name was missed translated from from Russian to English. It was translated from Russian to English incorrectly. In Russian it was Ivan the “formidable”, which is more like having respect because of size, strength or ability. But in English, his name in Ivan the terrible. This means that he was respected because of his stature and strength. Also, although many Americans would say otherwise, Napoleon was not short, he was actually 5 ft 5 in tall, which in his time is extremely tall. The error occurred when they were converting from French units to English units. At the time, a French foot was larger than an English foot so people heard 5' 2" and it stuck.

Napoleon was tall for his time. This is how he compares to leaders of  today. 
Imagine him without the hat. 

So, what if Alexander the Great was not actually great? What if his legacy got lost in time, like Ivan's, or was altered as it passed from one person to another. How much would this change how we also looked on famous or infamous people of history? If Alexander's legacy was altered, would we still call him great, or would we frown upon him?

Sources:  

Strickland, Joseph. n. page.  
<http://www.lagrange.edu/resources/pdf/citations/2012/09_Strickland_History.pdf>. "FAQ." Foundation Napoleon. (2008): n. page. Web. 20 Sep. 2013. 
<http://www.napoleon.org/en/essential_napoleon/faq/>

BBC News, . How World Leaders Measure Up. 2009. Infographic. Sarkozy height row grips FranceWeb. 25 Sep 2013. 
     <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8243486.stm>.