As with all rumors, both the good and the bad stories told of Rasputin were impossible to prove. At one point, men in his village called in a priest to judge
him for his exploits, and the priest found nothing sinful in his practices. Also, during one of his journeys, a woman went to the police in a town and accused Rasputin of trying to rape her. The police were able to conclusively prove that this charge was false, as Rasputin had been hundreds of miles away at the
time the alleged rape took place. Although this certainly does not exonerate him from all charges, this incident demonstrates that there were people who falsely accused him in order to destroy his reputation.

Rasputin eventually made his way to St. Petersburg, and he met with the royal family for the first time in 1905. The monarchy was in quite a state at this time; the Tsar and Tsaritsa were unpopular among the people, and the political structure of Russia was crumbling. The Tsaritsa had recently given birth to her first son, after trying for years. This son, Alexei, was the cause of extreme anxiety among the court, as he was a hemophiliac and often came into danger of dying from internal bleeding caused by small bumps and bruises. The Tsaritsa made a great effort to find doctors or mystics who could heal her son; after many failures, she was finally directed to the healer Rasputin. To the amazement of the Royal Family, Rasputin proved to be able to heal the young Tsarevich. Rasputin calmed the boy by praying over him and stroking his body, and every time, the boy's bleeding stopped and he recovered quickly.

Russian society was extremely resentful of this mysterious man who had so quickly gained the favor of the Tsaritsa. The public was never informed of the Tsarevich's illness, so society was left to speculate on the cause of Rasputin's presence in the capital. Rumors abounded as to his connections with the Tsaritsa. His personal life aroused some suspicion at the same time; he greatly enjoyed music, dancing, and drinking, which were looked upon with suspicion by many.

The Tsar and Tsaritsa so trusted their mystical friend that they began to rely on his advice when making political decisions. Rasputin's advice was nearly always based simply on intuition, and while it was sometimes good advice, it often was not. It must be remembered, however, that the leaders made bad decisions on their own, so Rasputin's influence in this area was probably not an important factor.

The nobility in Petersburg eventually grew so tired of the interference of Rasputin in court life that they conceived a plot to kill him. This murder, which took place in 1916, is probably well known to all: Rasputin was poisoned, shot several times, beaten, and thrown into a frozen river before he finally succumbed. The Tsar and Tsaritsa were deeply grieved by his death and believed it to be an evil omen. They may have been correct, as the Tsar was forced to abdicate early in the following year, and the entire family was killed in 1918.