This is from doombuggies.com!
R.C. Loveland,“Ghost Biographer” and Former Haunted Mansion Cast Member, Shares Some Stories
R.C Loveland, (pictured, left) who worked the WDW Haunted Mansion for many years, is someone who is responsible for some of the rumors and myths surrounding the characters inside the dusty old place. He and his crew used to make up "biographies" for all of the characters in the Haunted Mansion. In Mr. Loveland's own words:
"As for the biographies, here's the basic story: Master Gracy had the Mansion built on a hillside for he and his bride (the one in the attic). Madame Leota was a medium who wanted Gracy badly, but he loved his bride more. Leota cursed the house and Gracy. They didn't die right away. There were quite a few other things that happened before Gracy and Leota died. I don't remember the exact way she died, whether she was murdered or not, but her body was pulled from the river, having shruken to the size of a doll (which is our explanation for Little Leota). The Mansion was cursed so everyone generally met nasty ends, and the spirits tended to stay there. The raven was Leota's pet. There is no apparent record of its actual death. Maybe it was never alive.
"I wrote stories for the lady having the birthday party in the ballroom and one of the portraits in the stretch room. But we often gave ideas to the other CM's to help them out. We also tried to keep events logical and interrelated... The lady at the party (I don't remember her name) loved to throw parties. She was always happy-go-lucky and liked everyone. But Leota didn't like her because the parties always interrupted her seances. One night Leota became so mad that she went to the lady and made a prediction that she would die on the same night, 13 years in the future (the 13 candles on the cake). Of course she did die 13 years later, but passing away peacefully in her sleep. Yet the parties still continue...