Supposedly Liberaces Mansion is haunted by the ghost of the great Liberace himself.
Wladziu Valentino Liberace was an American entertainer and pianist. One can tell from Robson using the word supposedly that he is skeptical about this urban legend. His high school held his senior prom in the mansion. He was a little apprehensive, but he never saw nor heard a ghost. Because of his experience, he does not think the mansion is actually haunted.
He read about this urban legend on multiple websites and he has heard it through the grapevine. This urban legend can also be found in the book Weird Nevada. According to Robson, everyone in Las Vegas and many people outside Nevada know that Liberaces Mansion is haunted. He has heard from multiple people that it is a spooky place. This urban legend draws many ghost hunters to the mansion to prove or disprove Liberaces presence. He thinks that people are perpetuating the urban legend because the mansion would not draw half as many tourists as it does now if the urban legend were not in existence. Even though he, in particular, does not believe in this urban legend, he is an active bearer and tells this urban legend to anyone interested in Liberace and to tourists who plan on visiting the mansion.
Even though Robson and his fellow high school classmates do not think Liberace Mansion is haunted, many people still do believe it is haunted. Urban legends make people unsure about their beliefs. People do not know whether or not they should believe in the supernatural. They think it sounds unlikely, but they still cannot help but at least slightly believe the ghost of Liberace is haunting the mansion.
Because Robson went there and did not hear or see a ghost, I think he is right and people are probably just perpetuating this urban legend for the sake of tourism. It is kind of disappointing because I always feel this thrill or chill when I hear urban legends. I enjoy hearing about them even though they scare me a little bit. It is almost like they are addicting. However, this one now seems fake and hollow, so now I am much less interested in it. If I told anyone about it, I would probably attach a supposedly to the beginning precisely like Robson did to convey my skepticism.
Annotation: Oesterle, Joe, Tim Cridland, Mark Moran, and Mark Sceurman. Weird Las Vegas and Nevada: Your Alternative Travel Guide to Sin City and the Silver State. New York, NY: Sterling Pub. Co, 2007.