I mentioned elsewhere, I've been slowly watching the old X-files episodes. First time I've seen many of them, and only second viewing for ones I had seen back in thee days of yore. It's fairly "bad" much of the time. but... well.. ya know.
Anyway, it's tempting to put together a concordance of the x-files, laying out all the "real" stuff episodes are based on. Oh yeah, the "beach boxes" are right in the area where the 1st episode was set.
For instance, season 4, ep 16: it's totally about Mike Echanis.
The fictional background of Hwa Rang Do, is interesting example of how myth-in-reality is built up. I guess it's not that uncommon in the fighting arts. but does anyone really believe the current head/creator is the 58th head of his art? I guess it's important to be able to lay claim to a lineage.
It would be interesting to hear how it came to be that a very young Echanis got into this then obscure martial art, and ended up a highly placed instructor in the US special forces, where he "marketed" Hwa Rang Do.