I'm listening to a podcast about the crusades and it's amazingly gonzo so far:
example 1: Priest declares that 2/5 of the crusader army (which he points out) are sinners, and will have to be executed. To prove his vision, he subjects himself to a trial by fire. It ends like you think it does.
example 2: The first crusader assault on Jerusalem uses a single siege ladder, because that's all the wood they can find. It ends like you think it does.