I liked the idea of your post but I really didn't see what was especially strange about the first of the five players you chose- Aleister Crowley.
You say,"He makes #1 on this list not because of his chess playing abilities or prevalence of recorded games, but for his general strangeness and the significant quality of the only real piece of his chess legacy that I could find, which is one game recorded that ended in a draw with British chess master Joseph Henry Blackburne."
You didn't explain what was strange about him. You said he was a magician and was called the "most wicked man". That doesn't really chronicle his strangeness. Surely, there must be examples of something he did to get called the "most wicked man".
As far as I can see, you think it was strange that he played a good game against Blackburne.
I wanted to share this article from my blog that I have been working on for some time. It covers five of my favorite unusual players and one exhibit from their surviving games. However, in addition to sharing the article, I would love to hear other stories of strange and unusual chess legends, players, or other oddities.
OMChess.com - Chess Chronicles of the Strange and Unusual
AmishHacker