Suetonius

Suetonius was a close friend of Pliny the Younger, was favored by Roman Emperors Trajan and Hadrian, and may have been Hadrian's personal secretary. Suetonius was possibly dismissed by Hadrian due to suspicions of having an affair with Hadrian's wife Vibia Sabina. Hadrian was, at a minimum. bisexual (he took male lovers) and may have been gay. He and Vibia Sabina had no children. Suetonius also had a childless marriage. Epitome de Caesaribus attributed to Aurelius Victor (14.8) reports that Hadrian treated Vibia Sabina like a slave and eventually drove her to suicide. Such details not only show that Suetonius and Vibia Sabina may have shared a close emotional connection but they also attest to Suetonius' close connections to Roman aristocracy. When this is combined with his reputation as a studious writer and his early date of composition (he would have been around 10 years old when the plague struck Rome), one realizes that Suetonius is probably the most reliable source for the date of the Great Plague in Rome.