William Brodie (28 September 1741 - 1 October 1788), more commonly known by his prestigious title of Deacon Brodie, was a Scottish cabinet-maker, deacon of a trades guild and Edinburgh city councillor, who maintained a secret life as a burglar, partly for the thrill, and partly to fund his gambling. Stevenson remained fascinated by the dichotomy between Brodie's respectable facade, and his real nature and was inspired to write The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886)."