I aspire to earning a nickname when all is said and done. Something like the one the Byzantine Emperor Basil II earned, First I need to do something either heroic or heinous:
“Finally, on July 29, 1014, Basil II outmaneuvered the Bulgarian army in the Battle of Kleidion, with Samuil separated from his force. Having crushed the Bulgarians, Basil was said to have captured 15,000 prisoners and blinded 99 of every 100 men, leaving 150 one-eyed men to lead them back to their ruler, who fainted at the sight and died two days later suffering a stroke. Although this may be an exaggeration, this gave Basil his nickname Boulgaroktonos, “the Bulgar-slayer” in later tradition.”
Basil II – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
unfortunately, nicknames often end up being less than flattering and more akin to the Shrekian convention – “Bortar the flatulent”
Some nicknames stay with you for a long time. Be careful what you wish for.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethelred_the_Unready