User blog comment:MrAnonymous/Will Vertigo play a major role in the series?/@comment-5774665-20130202060015/@comment-807326-20130202130001

Honestly, the story they tell about how he got his name just sounds like an urban myth. He could likely be a count, and by the sounds of his accent (though I'm unfamiliar with it; perhaps it was simply British + Whacky) it's possible he or his family originate from somewhere other than Starling City, or even America.