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Date: April 26, 2025 03:46AM

Something like this actually happened, to one of Alexander of Macedon's generals. The following is from The Annals of the World, by James Ussher.

280 BC

2745. Seleucus planned to end his days in his old and native country of Macedonia. He crossed over the Hellespont and went to Lysimachia. By chance, he saw a certain altar standing in a conspicuous place and asked what the name of that altar was. He was told that it was called "Argos". Now it is said that he had been forewarned by an oracle to beware of Argos. He further asked why it was called Argos. Whether it was from the Argonants, who passed that way in olden time, when they went with Jason to Colchos. Or was it named after the Argivi, who went to the siege of Troy or that the great Argos in which Jason went, was cast away there on their return or that it was the country of the Arridae, Agamemnon and Menelaus. As he was thus questioning about the name of that altar, Ptolemy Ceraunus, who was standing behind him, ran him through with his sword and killed him. Ptolemy was the son of Ptolemy the First, by his wife Euridice and brother to Arsinoe the widow of Lysimachus. He killed his great benefactor who kept him and always wanted him with him. So Seleucus within 7 months after the death of Lysimachus, lost both the kingdom of Macedonia, which he had taken from him and his life.

It's really a matter of chance. Sooner or later, vague predictions will result in one that seems to come true. That's how 'oracles' and so on operated.