Sworn Blood Brother of Liu Bei and Guan Yu. At the Battle of Chang Ban he alone rode out on the Chang Ban Bridge and gave a yell so powerful that, it is said, frightened and held off 10,000 of Cao Cao's troops, who were in pursuit.
Though exceedingly loyal and known for his strength and skill as a warrior, he was short tempered and a lover of wine and drink, which often got him into problems more times than not on the battlefield.
The historical Zhang Fei, however, was shown to have been a masterful general rather than simply a warrior. He was not known to have had an obsession with wine, that being something it seems was attributed to Luo Guanzhong's mind in Romance of Three Kingdoms. He treated his superiors with respect however had little respect for his underlings.
Zhang Fei was killed by his own men Zhang Da and Fan Qiang while leading troops to avenge to attack a rival kingdom of Wu.
The romanticized Zhang Fei is best portrayed in the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong.
The historical Zhang Fei is best portrayed through his description and actions depicted in his Sanguozhi Biography, a work by Chen Shou.