Rasputin's role in history can be defined in many ways-
"shaman", "madman", "Mad Monk", or even "doctor". Recall that Tsar
Nicholas the II's son had hemophilia. Fearing that they would not
have a Romanov heir, the Tsar & the Tsarina were immediately
drawn to Rasputin. He supposedly had healing techniques that
"cured" Tsarevich Alexei. Because of his successes, the Tsarina
placed a lot of trust in him. In turn, Rasputin would come to
advise not only Alexei and the Tsarina, but also Tsar Nicholas the
II in political affairs.