The tale of Mae Nak Phra Khanong is known to most Thai people. It goes back to the reign of King Rama IV (King Mongkut). Mae Nak and her husband Mak lived by the Phra Khanong waterway in Bangkok, where her shrine is now located.
While Mak is off at war and severely injured in the process, bot Nak and her child she is carrying die during childbirth. However, when Mak eventually comes home, Nak is there with her new child, as if nothing has happened. Neighbors, who know what happened, and try to tell the husband, are met with a dismal faith.
The story goes, that when Nak was preparing a meal with Nam Phrik, a lime fell down through a crack in the floor. It fell down to the ground below the house (which traditionally is elevated to be safe from floods). Nak, as a ghost, extended her arm to pick up the lemon, which was seen by her terrified husband. He henceforth tries to flee the house, and runs away at night.