Sometimes a historical figure is twisted from their original roots into something more grand or more vile, as a Historical Hero Upgrade or Historical Villain Upgrade. But sometimes a story isn't interested in either of these with a figure. It neither wants him to be lionized or necessarily vilified, but at the same time it can't resist taking some of the shine off of them. While this could easily be just an attempt to humanize these figures and try to be more historically accurate, it's often far too easy to go that extra step and stuff a bit of Straw Loser in there. The result is a Historical Downgrade: while either a heroic or villainous shift could be said to be an increase in status, this take is definitely a lessening of stature no matter where the figure started out.