In 1820, Makriyannis (1797-1864) joined Filiki Etaireia and he took part in the preparations for the Greek War of Independence. In March 1821, he was sent to Patra to consult with the leaders for a common uprising. Returning to Arta, he was arrested, imprisoned, and tortured (probably right here) for 75 days. As he mentioned in his memoirs, “of the twenty-six prisoners taken for execution, only he was saved”.