 The original inspiration for this story began around 300 B.C. on the  Greek Island of Lesvos. Sappho is said to have run a school for  gifted female artists there and is widely considered the first  lesbian recorded in history, though this is disputed. Atthis was a  noted companion of hers; Sinis was a known murderer of epic status  and the root of the modern word "sinister". The poet Sappho was  called "the tenth muse" by Homer, the legendary scholar and  philosopher. She originated the famous expression: "Beauty is in the  eye of the beholder".