Gertrude Bell

The public knows Gertrude Bell as a travel writer and adventurer who scaled many of the Alps, explored Egypt, and the Near East. Most do not know that she is an agent of the British Empire, both openly and covertly. Moreover, she is one of the West's leading experts on Syria, Palestine, and Iraq (at least the modern versions of them). During the Great War, she served as a guide for Imperial forces, an emissary, and as a scout. A close friend of T.E. Lawrence (yes, Lawrence of Arabia), she worked with him extensively before, during, and after the war.
During the breakup of the Ottoman Empire and the subsequent partitioning of its territories, she held the title of "Oriental Secretary" in the British delegation and was instrumental in the appointment of Faisal I as the first king of Iraq. She continues to serve in Baghdad as an advisor to the new government as well as the British Mandate Authority.
In her free time before the war, she had participated in numerous excavations in Syria, Arabia, and Mesopotamia. Now, she has somehow managed to found the Baghdad Archaeological Museum and among her many other roles, serves as Custodian of Antiquities for the British Authority for the Kingdom of Iraq.
She is fluent in Arabic, Persian, Italian, French, German, and Ottoman, in addition to English.