Johann Burchard managed not to crumple under the difficulties of serving as Rodrigo Borgia’s master of papal ceremonies. He kept a meticulous diary throughout his life, and his writings give us firsthand glimpses of the Renaissance’s most notorious family: the French invasion, the details of Lucrezia’s various riotous weddings, and the sequence of events surrounding Juan’s murder.

Laura Orsini may or may not have been the daughter of Pope Alexander VI, but her life lacked the turbulence and tragedy of Lucrezia’s. Laura married a nephew of Pope Julius II and bore him three sons.

Bartolomeo Scappi would become one of the greatest cooks of the Renaissance. He worked as Vatican chef to two popes, and he penned a massive compendium of recipes and career advice to cooks that is still in print today. Most of the recipes from this book have come directly from Scappi’s own words. The details of his personal life are extremely vague: there is no surviving birth date for him (though he was probably born somewhat later than in this story), and it is not known if he ever married or had children. But he enjoyed a long life and a brilliant career, and he must have traveled a great deal since his recipes show familiarity with the regional cuisine and markets of Rome, Venice, and Milan. It is not known who taught Bartolomeo Scappi to cook—Renaissance cooks were trained without the oversight of a formal guild—but whoever trained the young Bartolomeo instilled him with iron discipline, a great love of his craft, and an unshakable belief that preparing and serving good food was honorable work.

Sandro Farnese would later go on to take the Throne of Saint Peter as Pope Paul III. Among his achievements he laid the foundation for the Counter-Reformation, supported Katherine of Aragon in her tumultuous divorce appeals, and excommunicated Henry VIII.

Vittorio Capece of Bozzuto married Giulia Farnese some time after the death of her first husband, Orsino Orsini. Little is known of Giulia’s second husband, who was historically named Giovanni (I renamed him since this story already had too many Giovannis and Juans). He died some years after their marriage without giving Giulia any further children.

Giulia Farnese survived all the Borgias, going on to a long, wealthy, and apparently happy life. It is not known exactly when Giulia’s affair with her Pope ended, or whether the break came from her or from Rodrigo Borgia. However it happened, Giulia returned to the country and devoted herself to her daughter. After her second widowhood, she took over governorship of the town of Carbognano, where she is recorded as a lively and capable administrator.

Leonello is a fictional character. Many Renaissance lords kept dwarves as entertainers, jugglers, and companions. They were generally treated like pets: they might be pampered or they might be abused, but they were always looked down upon as lower beings.