3. Disneyland's Haunted Mansion was changed because it scared a guest to death

Image: Disney

The story: Shortly after Disneyland's Haunted Mansion opened, a rider was so terrified that he died of a "fright-induced" heart attack. Disney closed the ride and re-tooled it to make it less scary. The truth: While the Haunted Mansion's construction was horribly delayed (it began in 1962, but the ride didn't opened to the public until 1969), no such wholesale changes to the ride have been made. The legend likely springs from the fact that the facade of the mansion was finished in 1963, leading guests to speculate about its contents - particularly after it was featured in a 1965 episode of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color.

2. The Magic Kingdom's Space Mountain decapitated a rider

The story: A panicked guest stood up while riding Space Mountain. He was struck by a low-hanging metal ridge, and he arrived back in the station with his head missing. The truth:This is an urban legend, most likely created by adults to discourage children from attempting to stand up on roller coasters. Standing up on Space Mountain would actually be a difficult thing to do. There are suggestions that this myth derives from Imagineering discovering a decapitated test dummy during the ride's creation, but even those are unproven.

1. Disneyland's Skyway was closed because a rider fell to his death

The story: Disneyland's Skyway was closed in 1994 because a guest fell out of one of its cable cars and died. The truth: A man did fall from the Skyway, in April 1994. He landed in a tree near the Alice in Wonderland ride, and was treated for minor injuries. He claimed that he had fallen out of the car and sued Disney, but later admitted that he had in fact climbed out of it. The Skyway was shut for economic reasons.