Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast

By: Blue Ewe Media
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  • Summary

  • Serial killers. Gangsters. Gunslingers. Victorian-era murderers. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Each week, the Most Notorious podcast features true-life tales of crime, criminals, tragedies and disasters throughout history. Host Erik Rivenes interviews authors and historians who have studied their subjects for years. Their stories are offered with unique insight, detail, and historical accuracy.
    Copyright Erik Rivenes
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Episodes
  • 373: The Murder Case that Inspired The Scarlet Letter w/ Kate Winkler Dawson

    373: The Murder Case that Inspired The Scarlet Letter w/ Kate Winkler Dawson
    Jan 6 2025
    On a cold winter day in 1832, Sarah Maria Cornell was found dead in a quiet farmyard in a small New England town. When her troubled past and a secret correspondence with charismatic Methodist minister Reverend Ephraim Avery was uncovered, more questions emerged. Was Sarah’s death a suicide...or something much darker? Determined to uncover the real story, Victorian writer Catharine Read Arnold Williams threw herself into the investigation as the trial was unfolding and wrote what many claim to be the first American true-crime narrative, Fall River. The murder divided the country and inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter—but the reverend was not convicted, and questions linger to this day about what really led to Sarah Cornell’s death. Until now. Acclaimed true-crime historian Kate Winkler Dawson is my returning guest, and her new book "The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne" is officially on sale on January 7th. The author's website: https://www.katewinklerdawson.com/ Our sponsor this week is Acorns. Head here https://acorns.com/notorious or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • MoNo Encore: Catch Me If You Can's Frank Abagnale - Perpetrator of the Ultimate Hoax? w/ Alan C. Logan

    MoNo Encore: Catch Me If You Can's Frank Abagnale - Perpetrator of the Ultimate Hoax? w/ Alan C. Logan
    Dec 26 2024
    Happy New Year everyone! This Most Notorious Encore episode revisits my conversation with Alan Logan, originally released on May 19, 2021. Most of us are familiar with the critically acclaimed film called Catch Me If You Can, based on the autobiography of legendary confidence man Frank Abagnale. It's the story of a brazen teenage imposter who through charm and intellect was able to pass as an attorney, a doctor, a pilot and a university professor in the late 1960s and early 1970s. My guest, Alan C. Logan, has done extensive research into Frank Abagnale's well-known and near-mythical narrative, found it riddled with holes, and lays out some of what he has discovered for us on this week's episode of Most Notorious. Alan Logan's book is called "The Greatest Hoax on Earth: Catching Truth, While We Can", and can be ordered in bookstores, online retailers, and through his website at: http://www.greatesthoax.com/ Visit https://strawberry.me/notorious for 20% off your first month's membership! Support the show and ditch overpriced wireless with Mint Mobile’s deal and get 3 months of premium wireless service for 15 bucks a month! https://www.mintmobile.com/notorious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 37 mins
  • 372: Rhode Island's Last Execution w/ Paul F. Caranci

    372: Rhode Island's Last Execution w/ Paul F. Caranci
    Dec 19 2024
    On a frigid day in 1843, Amasa Sprague, a wealthy Yankee mill owner, left his mansion to check on his cattle. On the way, he was accosted and beaten beyond recognition, and his body was left facedown in the snow. What followed was a trial marked by judicial bias, witness perjury and societal bigotry that resulted in the conviction of twenty-nine-year-old Irish-Catholic John Gordon. He was sentenced to hang. Despite overwhelming evidence that the trial was flawed and newly discovered evidence that clearly exonerated him, an anti-Irish Catholic establishment refused him a new trial. On February 14, 1845, John Gordon became the last victim of capital punishment in Rhode Island. My guest is Paul F. Caranci, author of "The Hanging and Redemption of John Gordon: The True Story of Rhode Island's Last Execution." He walks us through the murder, investigation, trial and execution, and also shares some of the theories regarding who might have killed Amasa Sprague and why. More about the author and his books: https://www.paulcaranci.com/ The podcast "Terror In Wichita" can be heard here: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4oNsjI7FzlZ2z9k6aK1IGs?si=mY-xavJISBK2egMHTlsT2Q iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-terror-in-wichita-248480833/ Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ce0921-037e-4e6a-ad62-25f08a4b9b33/terror-in-wichita Support the show and ditch overpriced wireless with Mint Mobile’s deal and get 3 months of premium wireless service for 15 bucks a month! https://www.mintmobile.com/notorious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 18 mins

Featured Article: The Best History Podcasts of All Time


If you’re a history buff looking for a new podcast to check out, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the array of options available. There are literally thousands of podcasts focusing on every corner of history. To help you know where to start, we’ve waded through nearly everything out there and selected just a few of the best of the best in history podcasts. And we've divided them by categories and interests. You’re sure to find your next favorite listen in our list.

Featured Article The Best History Podcasts of All Time

What listeners say about Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast

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Profile Image for Dottie H.

Very Good True Crime Story!

I enjoyed it very much. Very interesting! I would definitely recommend your podcast. Will continue to listen.

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Profile Image for Dr.JOHNNY S3

similar historical podcasts??

Eric can you recommend any other podcasts that are like most notorious I've listen to all your episodes and love them wish I could hear more historical true crime

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Profile Image for Yeanette Luffman

Such an interesting mystery.

This is my first time listening to this podcast and after hearing this I am hooked! I had never heard anything about this case before. So interesting and so sad.

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Profile Image for Mama Cat

Intriguing!!

This podcast is really intriguing! The book authors have done the research and writing to bring these stories to light while Erik asks compelling questions that we all wish we could ask if we had the opportunity. Everyone's story is important and this podcast makes that a central focus.

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My Addiction

Each episode is interesting, brilliant and informative.. Thank you for sourcing so much great talent.

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Loved it!!

I had heard this story before but enjoyed hearing from the author. Awesome true story!!

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Profile Image for PensFan

Fantastic for fans of true crime and history!

One of the best podcasts available! The insights into true crime, history and writing about both are exceptional. The host is skilled at allowing guest authors to tell their stories by asking just the right questions at the right times! Absolutely wonderful, respectful storytelling!

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Profile Image for Sylvia

I’ve been a fan for years

I’ve listened to other podcasts but always came back to this one. Most Notorious is now the only true crime podcast I listen to! The host is very thorough in both his research & well asked questions, questions that us, the listeners all want to know. I very highly recommend!!

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The best podcasts I’ve ever listened to

Hands down, this is my favorite podcaster. No talking about dogs, beer or anything frivolous. Just getting down to business with experts and authors who have spent vasts amounts of time researching historic crimes.

The host is quite modest. You can tell that he occasionally has better recall of certain facts than the person he is interviewing, yet he never interrupts or draws attention to his knowledge. Bravo! And no, I’m not his mother!😊

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Profile Image for Michelle Zupancic

America's Forgotten Crimes

This is an absolutely fabulous example of the genre, particularly for those of us who have heard the same 2 dozen crimes rehashed again and again. Eric never fails to present a crime story that has either been almost totally forgotten or never before looked at from a different angle. Completely binge-worthy.

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