Useful site - Badass of the week

I came across this site more or less by chance, it mostly describes real people including famous soldiers, adventurers, etc. who have basically kicked ass and taken names under ridiculously dangerous circumstances, and otherwise lived weird dangerous lives. You probably wouldn't want to base a character too closely on any one entry, but they show just how extreme it's possible to be, and that truth is often considerably stranger than fiction.

http://www.badassoftheweek.com/

The start of a typical entry:

"Julie D'Aubigny was a 17th-century bisexual French opera singer and fencing master who killed or wounded at least ten men in life-or-death duels, performed nightly shows on the biggest and most highly-respected opera stage in the world, and once took the Holy Orders just so that she could sneak into a convent and bang a nun. If nothing in that sentence at least marginally interests you, I have no idea why you're visiting this website."

http://www.badassoftheweek.com/lamaupin.html