Grigory Rasputin Holy Man or Mad Monk Author:Enid A. Goldberg, Norman Itzkowitz Grigory Rasputin (c. 1869-1916) was a poor peasant from Siberia who claimed he could heal the sick, notably the Tsar's son, and predict the future. Some people worshipped him. Others wanted him dead. No wonder the story of his life and death is stranger than fiction.