The apocryphal Acts of Thomas tells of the apostle hired to build a palace for a northern king, Gundaphar, who gives the building fund to the poor and tells the king a palace has been raised for him in heaven. Long dismissed as fable — until the king's name turned up on real coins and a dated stone inscription. Gondophares was a genuine Indo-Parthian ruler of exactly the right era: a true historical name inside a legendary tale.
See the historical note →Acts of Thomas (c. AD 200) — public domain; the king's historicity rests on coins and the Takht-i-Bahi inscription.