The Phantom's story has been changed many times by different directors and authors, but according to the original novel by Gaston Leroux, a man named Erik lived underneath the Paris Opera House in the 19th century. He was a musical genius, but shunned the outside world and used skillful trickery and gadgets (like a two-way mirror) to make himself seem like a ghost haunting the place. He demanded a payment of 20,000 francs a month and the free use of 'Box 5' from the managers, threatening violence and disaster upon them and the company should they fail to comply. As the story begins, however, two new managers take over and dismiss his mysterious notes and the company's stories about him as nonsense.At some point he has also taken on a proteg Show less «