The Condemned

Luminor, for the most part, is a peaceful seaside kingdom, it still has many myths and not all friendly. 
One of the most popular one is of the Condemned.
The story goes that once the first of the condemned set sail to try and seek fortune, but rather than finding great riches they only found an untimely demise. Body unable to be found, and this being their final death, they had no choice but to linger in the place of their death. Resentment grew, and madness set in the longer they were alone. But more came one by one, seeking the same fortune the first had. Some say it was a corrupt salesman that was selling a treasure map to nothing; others have more nefarious beliefs. No matter what it was, more and more joined the first until the area became a swirling vortex of sprits. Gathering power with each new soul that was added, and soon they began attacking sailors that dared to sail near.
When the sailors finally discovered the cause of the area's misfortune they set out to try and recover the bodies. But there was no way to find all of the small bones, the little pieces of those who had died before. Eventually, they gave up.
After the expedition to try and lay the souls to rest many of the sailors came home to warn their families about the lost souls that lurked in the sea. This story grew and grew until sailors began throwing in small offerings to the restless souls before sailing.


(What childhood stories are people still afraid of as adults in your world?)