ROFL! Colonel Mustard :) Reminds me of the times I threw Warner Brothers characters into the campaign based on an issue of "Dragon" that gave their stats. The Tasmanian Devil was hard to fight! Also threw in Godzilla once. And then sometimes I'd turn our teachers from school into NPCs--for instance, our science teacher became an alchemist :)
It sounds like your campaigns had pretty involved "plots". Mine didn't have much on the romance or mystery sides, more on the intrigue and war sides. I did have a long-term backstory that slowly unfolded over many adventures. In between adventures I'd conduct my own off-scene wars and things that were going on during the characters' adventures unknown to them. As things developed I'd go back and reinterpret earlier events and explain what "really" happened that the characters weren't aware of at the time. That was one of the most challenging and fun parts.
I miss having time to rpg, LOL!
I had a TERRIBLE time thinking up names... SO Colonel Mustard!
I also had Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, and Teddy Roosevelt later on.
( As i am sure you are aware, Mr. Edison invented one of the very FIRST Aether Flyers, certainly the first one with an American patent!)
Samuel Clemens, AKA Mark Twain, did a lecture series at the American Colony of Moreus Laucus on Mars, right off the banks of the Grand Canal...