I can assure you that the Reed College mascot, while not a real person, was a real mythological character with its own story: https://www.google.com/search?q=Reed+college+mascot&tbm=isch&imgil=4kfgCzyOkdSuFM%253A%253BKPQEXNj7J1PSAM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.pinterest.com%25252Fpin%25252F473300242058566804%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=4kfgCzyOkdSuFM%253A%252CKPQEXNj7J1PSAM%252C_&usg=__jWxnXJhsoeLFTIE_7V_eipiG-Yk%3D&biw=1265&bih=660&ved=0ahUKEwik9vCNoqnTAhWi44MKHcldDREQyjcIUg&ei=WIrzWKTqG6LHjwTJu7WIAQ#imgrc=4kfgCzyOkdSuFM:
More interesting than most PEOPLE who are made into statues: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffin