The Macedonians in general were fascinating

Basil I was a gigolo stableboy turncame from nothing befriended the Emperor and murdered him. Leo the Wise may (likely not) have been the bastard son of the previous Emperor. Sponsored a ton of writing and got in a slap fight with the Patriarch over marriages reminiscent of Henry VIII. He finally got a son... Then promptly died. His son Constantine lived his life in the shadows as the government was taken over by Romanos Lekapenos who ruled for decades, but never murdered Constantine or displaced the Macedonians. Constantine seemed to get the last laugh and after Lekapenos got revenge on the family with the alters bastard eunuch son. His own son Romanos shocked everyone and died young and was replaced by his sons Basil & Constantine. Yet Nikephoros Phokas became Emperor and defacto military dictator ( He had a cool nickname White Death of the Saracens). He alienated his cousin John Tzimiskes. John was exiled, but along with some retainers snack back into Constantinople, infiltrated the Palace and assassinated Phokas personally waving his severed head at the guards. He went on to beat the Bulgarians, Fatamids and the Rus before dying of a heart attack. Basil then became Emperor and ruled for a shade under 50 years. Surviving multiple rebellions and putting down the enemies of Rome.