Poe's 1846 short story "The Cask of Amontillado" seals the torturous end of the former Fortunato CEO, Rufus Griswold (Michael Trucco), at the hands of the siblings Roderick and Madeline, who drug him and brick him inside a wall, alive. It's worth noting that the spiked sherry Madeline offers to Griswold is labeled "Amontillado" in a foreshadowing moment, with "Eldorado" (another poem by Poe) scribbled beneath it. Interestingly enough, the name of the protagonist who dies in the original story by Poe is called Fortunato. Griswold is also wearing a jester costume at the time of his entombing, which haunts Roderick in many instances, as does the sound of the jingling bells stitched on it. This costume is a reference to an 1849 short story by Poe, titled "Hop-Frog," in which a court jester exacts revenge on his ruthless and abusive king by murdering him, which tracks perfectly in the show's context as well.
