Haile Gebrselassie (Eth).
Haile Selassie, the emperor of Ethiopia who accumulated a magnificent list of titles before being deposed in a coup in 1974, has a strong claim to be called the all-time king of bombast.
Haile Selassie, the emperor of Ethiopia, has a strong claim to be called the all-time king of bombast The Pope is another strong contender: Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the Vatican City State, Servant of the Servants of God.
His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, King of Kings and Elect of God certainly takes some beating.
Haile Selassie began building a charming lakeside city for himself which was abandoned after the Ethiopian revolution.
Thousands were resettled, mostly forcibly, by Emperor Haile Selassie and the Mengistu government that followed his.
Meles Zenawi, who had been in power ever since his forces ousted the Marxist junta of Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991, was the Horn's dominant figure and the West's main ally in the region.
But Ms Haile Michael tells a very different story: of being kidnapped by a senior officer and sexually abused by him over many years.
As the rest of Africa decolonised and modernised, albeit fitfully, after the second world war, Ethiopia remained stuck fast in a feudal fantasy presided over by a diminutive emperor, Haile Selassie.
The Amharas, comprising about 22%, are traditionally Ethiopia's educated ruling class, providing the leadership both of the Derg and of Haile Selassie's empire.
