Iron Maiden

I think Iron Maiden does an excellent job paying tribute to historical figures and events:

Aces High -- the Battle of Britain (see the music video)
Run the the Hills -- the plight of Native Americans
Tailgunner -- tailgunners in World War II
Sun and Steel -- Miyamoto Musashi, a 17th century Japanese samurai
Ganghis Khan -- Ganghis Khan
etc.

Also, literature:

The Trooper -- The Crimean War / "Charge of the Light Brigade" by Tennyson
Revelations -- G.K. Chesterton
To Tame a Land -- "Dune" by Frank Hurbert
Phantom of the Opera -- "The Phantom of the Opera" by Gaston Leroux
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner -- "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" by Robert Heinlein
Moonchild -- "Liber Samekh" by Aleister Crowley
etc.

Here's a good website to research allusions Iron Maiden makes:
http://stason.org/TULARC/music-bands/iron-maiden/19-Song-And-Name-Origins-Iron-Maiden.html

I feel like Maiden is kind of like historical fiction in music form. Or maybe more accurately like a historical fiction graphic novel in music form.