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Some guidelines (I may add more for clarification if needed):

  1. Each stanza indicates something about my life in the form of a clue's homophone, but that is all I will guarantee. The words in the stanza may or may not pertain to my real life events otherwise.
  2. A correct answer will correctly decipher the clues provided by at least half of the stanzas.

Examples:

When he proposed, he gave me some ground wheat (flour -> flower)
I spent my life collecting tolls on the highway (fare -> fair, could mean I treated people equally, not necessarily that I was a toll collector)

Some think of me like a necessity,
Yet others say I'm more of an obsession.

A fine wine or a strong brandy
My family could never afford to serve.

One night, the dreams came to me.
I awoke with the urge to be where the king exhaled.

After some time in his service,
I ended up in a gurney

Not much later, they told me that I
Was like a tributary whose flow is restricted.

A slab became the death of me,
Now my remains are one with the world

Many follow me intently,
Assuming I know nothing of it.

Who am I?

Hint:

The clues are in more or less chronological order of my life events.

Hint (6/27/16 11:13 AM EST):

I am a real historical figure

Hint (6/30/16 2:03 PM EST):

I'm from the Eastern Hemisphere

Hint (7/6/16 9:18 AM EST):

This can be (fairly) easily solved with just two clues deciphered

Hint (6/13/17 3:36 PM CT):

I am female

Hint (6/14/17 11:41 AM CT):

I believe that the sixth stanza is the most important; solve that, and the answer choices become very few (this is why I made it the title).

Think about the different ways the word slab can be used, and the different types of slabs.

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  • $\begingroup$ Just FYI, the hint seems to be missing $\endgroup$
    – aconb
    Jun 24, 2016 at 18:23
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    $\begingroup$ @pime Unless that is the hint... $\endgroup$
    – Engineer Toast
    Jun 24, 2016 at 18:24
  • $\begingroup$ @Moose Are any of the homophones proper nouns, or are they all common words? $\endgroup$
    – Dan Russell
    Jul 7, 2016 at 20:10
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    $\begingroup$ @DanRussell all are common words that can be found in the dictionary $\endgroup$
    – Moose
    Jul 7, 2016 at 20:28
  • $\begingroup$ I cant help but think of a particular TISM song when I read the title. $\endgroup$
    – jhbh
    Jun 14, 2017 at 18:21

4 Answers 4

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I believe you are

Joan of Arc

Going chronologically:

Some think of me like a necessity, Yet others say I'm more of an obsession.

Really not sure about this one, but perhaps obsession could refer to Ark of the Covenant -> Ark/Arc? Born to Jacque d'Arc

A fine wine or a strong brandy My family could never afford to serve.

Pour/Poor (credit @Arth) - her family was poor. Wine may be a hat-tip to France.

One night, the dreams came to me. I awoke with the urge to be where the king exhaled.

Sighed/Side (credit @Arth) - Dreams = visions/prophecies, for which Joan of Arc is famous. The king would be the King of France, who she helped out militarily and with her prophecies.

After some time in his service, I ended up in a gurney/trundle

Cot/Caught - She was eventually captured by the English.

Not much later, they told me that I Was like a tributary whose flow is restricted.

Dammed/Damned (credit @Arth) - She was convicted of heresy, so damned is fitting.

A slab became the death of me, Now my remains are one with the world

Slab could refer to a slab of meat -> steak/stake: famously burned at the stake. One with the world could be ashes to ashes, dust to dust (ashes->burned, dust->dirt->one with the world)

Many follow me intently, Assuming I know nothing of it.

Tail/Tale (credit @Arth) - she's now the subject of legends/tales and many stories are told based on her life

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  • $\begingroup$ How do you get "arc" from the first line, other than already knowing the answer? $\endgroup$
    – MikeQ
    Jun 14, 2017 at 20:45
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    $\begingroup$ @MikeQ Definitely wouldn't get there without working backward. In fact, I have no idea if that interpretation is actually what the OP had in mind. $\endgroup$
    – tmpearce
    Jun 14, 2017 at 21:22
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Some possibles (bold confirmed by OP):

Some think of me like a necessity, Yet others say I'm more of an obsession.

Need/Knead, Tic/Tick

A fine wine or a strong brandy My family could never afford to serve.

Poor/Pour, Port

One night, the dreams came to me. I awoke with the urge to be where the king exhaled.

Heir/Air.. tenuous! Side/Sighed (Regi-sighed!)

After some time in his service, I ended up in a gurney trundle

Heal/Heel, Week/Weak, Borne/Born

Not much later, they told me that I Was like a tributary whose flow is restricted.

Lock/Loch, Straight/Strait, Coarse/Course.. all tenuous! Creek/Creak, Damned/Dammed, Currant/Current

A slab became the death of me, Now my remains are one with the world

Peace/Piece, Flaw/Floor, Board/Bored

Many follow me intently, Assuming I know nothing of it.

Tale/Tail, Prophet/Profit

Can't really work out how these all may fit with the narrative or a historical figure however :(

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3
  • $\begingroup$ You've got the last stanza (with tail/tale) and your first idea (pour/poor) for the second stanza is correct. $\endgroup$
    – Moose
    Jul 6, 2016 at 19:52
  • $\begingroup$ You figured out stanza 3 as well (sighed/side). I changed a word in stanza 4 that should help $\endgroup$
    – Moose
    Jul 7, 2016 at 14:57
  • $\begingroup$ And 5 (Dammed/Damned). You're still missing the first and 6th, which are the two that I really consider crucial to finding the answer. You're somewhat on the right track with tic but going the wrong way with the 6th $\endgroup$
    – Moose
    Jul 7, 2016 at 19:05
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Is it

Mary Ward?
First to die in a automobile accident, and due to this laws/regulations were started. She also had published a few books.

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    $\begingroup$ How did you come to this conclusion? You should explain how each stanza led you to this answer $\endgroup$
    – Moose
    Jun 28, 2016 at 12:30
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Taking a stab at the remaining clues:

  1. Some think of me like a necessity,
    Yet others say I'm more of an obsession.

Vein / Vain (veins are quite important, vanity can be seen as self-obsession)

  1. After some time in his service,
    I ended up in a trundle

Wield / Wheeled (wielding a sword; a trundle is a wheeled cart)

  1. A slab became the death of me,
    Now my remains are one with the world

Gneiss / Nice? .. ha, actual guess: Wrought / Rot (like heavy wrought iron; buried -> decomposed)

No ideas who it might be, though.

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