Queen Teuta of the Illyrian Ardiaean Kingdom took refuge in Risan, a town in the inner part of the Bay of Kotor, throughout the Illyrian Wars. During her short reign, the settlement became the capital of her state. Warriors protected the fortress with arrowheads dipped in an oleander liquid as the flower was known to cause seizures, comas, and death.

The Romans overthrew the queen and built a road that ran around the bay and extended to the modern borders of Croatia and Albania. Majestic red, pink, and white oleanders lined the road when, as legend tells, a Montenegrin king visited Risan to build a summer home. However, a confidant warned of the potential misfortune due to the abundance of oleanders.