Lola Montez
Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert was born in Ireland but lived in India until the age of eight, when she returned to Britain to complete her education. There she remained, living with various relations, until her mother deemed her of age to marry. To escape the planned marriage to a wealthy man in his sixties, she eloped with a young Irish officer.
Their marriage was short lived and soon Lola found herself alone, divorced—in an age where divorce was both rare and scandalous—and needing to support herself. After an unsuccessful attempt at acting, she attended a dancing school in Spain. She then returned to London, reinventing herself as Maria Dolores Porres Montez—born at Seville in 1833, daughter of a Spanish officer.
Then followed a series of escapades as she travelled throughout Europe—where she became mistress and power behind the throne of Ludwig I of Bavaria—America and, eventually, Australia. Wherever she went, scandal was never far behind.
A collection of her lectures, including an autobiography of sorts, can be found for free here. While vaguely autobiographical, bear in mind that they do contain substantial "embellishments"! What else could be expected, after all, from the young Irish divorcee who took the world by storm posing as a Spanish dancer?
“Exercise, not philosophically and with religious gravity undertaken, but with the wild and romping activities of a spirited girl who runs up and down as if her veins were full of wine.”