The Weirdest Mysteries in the Original Red Dead Redemption

Even though it has been more than fifteen years since John Marston first rode across the border (yes, we are old, dear reader), the original Red Dead Redemption remains a masterclass in world-building – and, of course, in crafting secret puzzles and mysteries.

Long before the industry was obsessed with "live service" formulas or constant remakes, Rockstar Games created a world that felt truly alive and occasionally bizarre. That is because it is a game incredibly rich with lore, hidden stories, and secrets that players (myself included) are still deconstructing and debating to this day.

So it is no wonder the game quickly became an open-world classic, eventually spawning a sequel (that somehow managed the impossible task of being even more incredible than the original, by the way) and continuing to reach new platforms, keeping its magic alive for a passionate, dedicated community.

And well, if you let me, I would spend this entire article just praising the franchise, so let’s cut to the chase! What I love most about the first Red Dead Redemption is how it builds mysteries that have literally survived the transition between console generations, still giving us theories and debates to this day.

Freely exploring these mysteries is literally one of the best parts of the experience – trying to solve nearly impossible puzzles, witnessing supernatural events, and sharing your new findings with friends. So, let’s get a bit nostalgic and revisit some of the weirdest things John Marston encountered in the original journey. And I promise you, it is far weirder than most people remember.

5 The Strange Man

An Accountant for the Soul

The Strange Man is an elusive character who actually appears in both games of the franchise, but his role in the first title remains his most remarkable and unsettling appearance.

He is one of the curious strangers John Marston can encounter while exploring the map, initiating the mission line “I Know You.” He introduces himself simply as an "accountant" who, surprisingly, knows every little detail of John’s past and acts like he’s superior somehow.

This omniscient aura and his enigmatic way of speaking led many players to theorize that he is the Devil, God, or perhaps the Grim Reaper himself – and this theory of him being some kind of entity is actually confirmed during the final meeting between the two. Well, sort of.

That’s because John eventually loses his patience and fires multiple shots at the man as he walks away, but the bullets pass right through him without doing any damage. However, that’s literally all we get from him in the game.

His story is eventually expanded in the sequel as a hidden task that leads players to a mysterious painting of him. Basically, if you visit the cabin multiple times, the painting completes itself, and if you look into the cabin's mirror, the Strange Man will briefly appear standing right behind you. It is easily one of the creepiest moments in gaming history.

4 The Ghost of Stillwater Creek

An Urban Legend in the Mist

Stillwater Creek actually exists in both Red Dead Redemption titles, but in the first game, it carries a pretty chilling reputation: many players swear it is haunted by the ghost of a mysterious woman, whose identity was never revealed.

But the thing is that this mystery is somewhere between a confirmed secret and a classic urban legend for the Red Dead community, mainly because it doesn't seem to happen to everyone – only to a lucky (or unlucky, depending on your point of view) few.

And literally no one has any clues about the exact identity of the woman who supposedly haunts the creek, but some loose players’ reports suggest that the entity needs a quite specific setting to finally appear. It must be night, when the moon is full, and the fog is thick. So, when you wander the area under these conditions, she may pay you a little visit.

Unlike the ghost of Agnes Dowd in the sequel, who is largely passive, this spirit is said to be very, very aggressive. Legend has it that if you get too close to her, she will immediately scream and attack, resulting in an instant one-hit kill for John. Truly terrifying.

3 The Mystery Site at Repentance Rock

The Spiritual Bridge

This is probably the most confusing and enigmatic mystery in the entire Red Dead Redemption saga, since it is a mystery that has baffled players for over a decade, and literally no one has any concrete clues about it. And to be honest, I’ve reached the point where I believe it might never be solved.

Basically, there is an unmanned mystery site at Repentance Rock, which is located near Rio Bravo and Benedict Pass (it is quite easy to miss if you aren't an avid explorer or don’t know where to look).

So, at the center of this site, you can find a deer pelt covered in four carved symbols, surrounded also by carved rocks and small blue stones – something that we don’t see every day, huh? And players have spent years zooming in to decode the symbols: a sun, a bear paw, a triangle, and a circle containing a cross and four dots. Oh, and the surrounding stones feature humanoid carvings, which significantly expand the possibilities of what it means.

The most curious thing about this is that there are multiple fan theories that range from Native American lore to occult rituals, but the most popular one is that this is a spiritual shrine.

That’s mainly because the blue stones appear to be lapis lazuli, which certain cultures believe acts as a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds. Interestingly, while the rock formation exists in Red Dead Redemption 2, the deer pelt is missing, meaning something significant happened at this site between the years 1907 and 1911. However, not even that detail given by the sequel made players figure out what it means!

2 Tumbleweed Haunted?

When Glitches Become Lore

We have another location in the first Red Dead Redemption that many players believe is genuinely haunted by ghosts or some kind of entity: Tumbleweed, a ruined, empty town in the western part of New Austin.

There are a couple of missions there from the main campaign, but if you visit the place while roaming freely, it indeed is pretty spooky! And that’s because the location is famous for bizarre occurrences, often triggered by "glitches" that result in paranormal activity.

Players have reported hearing voices (even when there are literally no NPCs around) or the barking of phantom dogs that aren't actually there – I have experienced these two myself, and yeah, it is every bit as creepy as it sounds.

Sometimes you will even find the town completely abandoned, with not a soul (living or dead) in sight. Puns aside, the community still debates this mystery to this day, but the strongest theory so far (and my favorite, by the way) is that maybe Rockstar placed these “ghostly glitches” on purpose to fuel the game’s paranormal side.

And, curiously enough, there is evidence that points to the latter! You can find a newspaper in-game, titled “Tumbleweed Haunted?”, that features reports from visitors who experienced “unnatural happenings” at the location, including sightings of spirits and strange figures. Literally haunting!

1 The "Manimals"

Another Glitch or Something Bigger

If there is anything that terrifies me more than spiders and people yelling at me at the airport to take my shoes off faster, is the “manimals” mystery from the first Red Dead Redemption.

Basically, for reasons that are still debated to this day, some players occasionally stumble upon terrifying creatures: animals that spawned with human NPC models (literally). And yes, it sure sounds like a simple bug, but the results were the stuff of nightmares.

This was something that happened quite often, especially at launch, and quickly became an enormous myth among the community. Some people even gave these creatures nicknames, based on what animal they should have been, such as “cougar man”, “horseman”, “boar man” (which is particularly terrifying for me), and even “bird people” (which is exactly what you are thinking right now).

I know that you are probably thinking, “Oh, just some bugs,” but the mystery deepened when players realized that John Marston actually had a unique reaction to one of them! This creature, in particular, was named “the donkey woman”, which is a Mexican peasant character model who behaves like a donkey.

If you encounter her, a new entry will appear in John’s journal with a sketch and a note saying, “What was this poor thing?” This specific inclusion has led many to suspect that at least some of these "manimals" were actually a deliberate, twisted joke left in by the developers to haunt players in the middle of the desert.

But there is still another detail in this mystery! In Red Dead Redemption 2, you can actually find the “donkey lady” in Two Crows, heading South from Armadillo, standing motionless beside a mill. So maybe she is a real character and not a simple joke from the developers. Well, who knows?