The Gaul le Frei story circulated through translations into a number of European languages and was influential in forming the tall tales told by the historical figure Hieronymus Carl Friedrich Baron von Münchhausen, which gave birth to the fictional character known simply as Baron Munchausen. Some editions collecting the tales of the fictional Munchausen renamed the character as Mediziner Lügenbaron to avoid the wrath of the real Baron; roughly translated, the new German name means “a doctor or baron of lies.” This was the first time the character was referred to as a doctor.