He had appalling handwriting

Leo Tolstoy was undoubtedly a prolific writer. His legacy includes 165 000 sheets of manuscripts, 90 volumes of complete works, and 10 000 letters. Many of his works, including the well-known four-volume epic War and Peace, are renowned for being quite long. However, Tolstoy's handwriting was not clear and was far from ideal, which disappointed his editors. Tolstoy’s illegible handwriting was worsened by conventional signs, countless corrections and additions.

His wife, Sophia is the only person who could understand it. To help him, his wife Sophia altered practically all of his significant works before submitting them to the editor. She would also revise Tolstoy's diaries toward the end of his life so that future generations could profit from it. She had to re-write War and Peace many times before Leo chose the final version to submit to his editors.

When Cesare Lombroso, a renowned Italian physician, first looked at Leo Tolstoy's handwriting, he came to the conclusion that it belonged to a woman of pleasure with psychopathic tendencies. Despite the fact that he had recorded so many intimate details, including their disagreements, she still undertook this duty.