Who was the character Brom Bones based off of in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow?

The character Brom Bones in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" was based off of a real person named Abraham "Brom" Martling, a local resident of Tarrytown, New York where the story is set. Washington Irving, the author, likely drew inspiration from Martling's lively and mischievous personality to create the character of Brom Bones.