Nero is maligned as the Roman Emperor who killed two of his wives, ordered the murder of his own mother, and set fire to Rome in order to blame Christians. Evil!

Look, he was no Mother Teresa. But Nero wasn't all bad. That fire probably was set accidentally, and the idea that he fiddled while the city burned was probably made up after the fact to make Nero look bad. There were large fires during the reigns of many other Emperors, yet somehow only Nero is accused of starting one. Wealthy Romans hated him and this probably colored the views of the Roman historians who lambasted him after his death.

But his policies (including heavy taxes on the rich) were very popular among the poor. According to National Geographic!, "his death was followed by outpourings of public grief so widespread that his successor Otho hastily renamed himself Otho Nero."

He promoted art, music, and sports, and was a strong advocate of social equality. He built a huge public gymnasium that was open to all Romans. Again, here's National Geographic!: “The gymnasium was part of a big change Nero brought about in Rome,” Filippi says. “He introduced the concept of Greek culture—and with it, this idea of physical and intellectual education of youth, and soon it spread throughout the empire. Before, such baths were only for the aristocrats. This changed social relations, because it put everyone on the same level, from senators to the horsemen.”

He also built the Domus Aurea--a fantastic architectural achievement. Yes, he persecuted Christians. So did other Emperors. On the whole, the evidence seems to indicate that Nero was one of the more beloved Roman emperors.