"Svengali" is derived from the 1894 novel "Trilby" by George L. Du Maurier; it refers to the character Svengali, a hypnotist who helps Trilby O'Ferrall, the title character, become a famous singer. As a metaphor, the word has since come to refer to one who has a hypnotic, manipulative control over another individual or a collective group of people.
Morton is depicted as being similar in personality to the infamous fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter. There is also a reference to the author of the Hannibal series (Thomas Harris) in the author/artist of the comic books (Harrison Thomas).
This episode is based on the Charles Manson Susan Atkins case
The bar where the victim and her club frequented is called the Mata Hari, which is named after a famous exotic/belly dancer and convicted spy. Mata Hari was the stage name for Margaretha Geertruida "Margreet" MacLeod, she was born on August 7th, 1876 in the Netherlands. She began working as an exotic dancer in France in 1904. Her dance techniques and costume were world famous, she wore a gold and jewel encrusted headpiece and breastplate and her act involved dance moves that involved rapid shaking of her belly, hips and butt while slowly stripping her clothes off, which was something unheard of at the time and very controversial. She is also equally famous for being convicted of espionage during World War I, before the war broke out her troop often danced in Germany and she was a favorite of the son of Kaiser Wilhelm II, the ruler of Germany when the war broke out in 1914. When the war stated Margreet was in France, and the French government knew about Willhelm's son liking her, so they asked her to seduce him and attempt to get military secrets from him. However upon arriving in Germany, Margreet allegedly informed the German government that she was supposed to be a spy for France and that in return for a large amount of money she would become a double agent and feed the Germans information about France's military plans. This was eventually discovered by French authorities, who promptly arrested her and charged her with treason and espionage. After being found guilty by a military tribunal Margreet was executed by a French firing squad on the morning of October 15, 1917. To this day many people think that Margreet was framed by the French government and used as a scapegoat for Germany obtaining classified French military plans.
One of the suspects alias is Agent Mayhem. Dean Winters who often appears on the series also plays a character called Mayhem on car insurance commercials.