Sidney Reilly is a spy whose origins and career are shrouded in mystery. Though one
might expect a spy to have his share of secrets, Reilly’s habit of telling false stories regarding pretty much anything that revolved around his history and actions was such that even scholars who study him extensively have a hard time pinning down the truths of the man. What is known for sure is that Reilly worked for at least four separate nations doing espionage, was employed by all the major branches of British intelligence and acted as the inspiration for Ian Fleming’s character of James Bond.