Who were you in a past life?

Who were you in a past life, or who would you like to have been? (if you don’t believe in that sort of thing)
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, because a few people I know believe they were quite famous personalities. I have a very big issue with it after an experience in my early 20’s. My ex-father in law believed he was Jesus Christ and his best friend believed he was one of the disciples. (I know…there are numerous institutions around the world with inmates who claim to be Jesus, Moses, Mary, Merlin, Joan of Arc and Cleopatra to name a few.) But my ex-father in law was a very charismatic man and he had quite a few very sane and rational people believing he was Jesus Christ. So what do I do with the latest claims, from people I care about and respect?
Admire their courage and convictions and allow them to follow their own truth. Somewhere between the absolute nutters and those who appear quite sane when they say they were Cleopatra in a past life,  there is a real Cleopatra. I certainly concede that it is likely some-one is right and they really were Joan of Arc or Henry the Eighth. I come from a background of ridicule and not being believed all my life, so I would never laugh or make fun of some-ones beliefs. I even leave a little room there for a maybe?
As for me, no delusions of grandeur…. I have memories of being a Russian peasant girl, raped and killed by invading soldiers. My mother valiantly tried to protect me, but lost her own life in the process. The other one I know of is a vague memory of being a mum with two kids who lost her husband in the war and struggled to raise them alone.

I don’t really look for ‘who I was’ I have enough trouble getting my head around who I am now. To me the need to be famous in the past is much the same motive as the need to be famous now, to elevate ones self or feel superior in some way, usually because of feelings of inadequacy. We are all unique and special in our own way, different colours of the rainbow or notes of a song.