Carnivále

Apollonia Bojakshiya - A once renowned seer who read cards for the rich and famous on the eastern seaboard. The only psychic Houdini was unable to debunk (when a reporter later opined that perhaps Madame Apollonia was "the real McCoy," Houdini reputably snapped, "Just because she fooled me doesn't mean she's not a fake.")

In 1913, during childbirth or soon thereafter (reports vary), Apollonia suffered a series of devastating seizures that left her paralyzed and catatonic. She was subsequently cared for by her sister, Anash, and later by her daughter, Sofie the Younger. The two eventually began working the travelling circuits as a mother-daughter act.