Alice in Wonderland. Perhaps the most famous literary muse in history, Alice Liddell was a child when she first charmed family friend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson and inspired him to tell - and then write - his classic story of a little girl's adventures in Wonderland. Although the relationship is steeped in controversy, it's thought that Liddell's parents put the kibbosh on a friendship that seemed to be getting questionable; there's also some evidence that Dodson proposed to the adult Alice. As an older woman, Liddell (whose married name was Alice Hargreaves) enjoyed the association and accepted several medals in commemoration of her role.