On April 10, 1834, firefighters smashed through a padlocked attic door in the burning home of Creole society couple Delphine and Louis Lalaurie. The horrible discovery of chained and mutilated slaves spawned a legend that has endured for over 150 years. But what really happened in the Lalaurie home? Who was "Mad Madame Lalaurie," and what motivated her to commit such ghastly atrocities, if she indeed did? Historian Victoria Cosner Love and author Lorelei Shannon uncover the truth behind one of New Orleans"s most famous stories and one of America"s most haunted houses.