Berthold Cavalley was an eccentric collector from New York City who studied mysterious secrets in world history such as lost civilizations, cults, and secret societies. Among his research was the translation of a parchment acquired from North Africa telling a story concerning the origin of Ra's al Ghul. Following his death in a house fire in 1952, his nephew James saved fragments of the parchment from the ashes and put them on sale in an auction at the Olympus Gallery.