Ahh yes, but at the time Diablo 2 did not exist!
I'm sure this is common knowledge, but back in the day there were elaborate hoaxes trying to convince Diablo 1 players of a secret cow level with ridiculous instructions on how to get there, and even screenshots of a fighter attacking cows in a cave. I have no idea how it got so out of control, but I had a friend determined to follow the instructions perfectly to get there. It was stupid steps like "you must walk exactly 18 steps into level 2, and then town portal, and then walk 14 steps north, 11 steps west, and walk straight until you reach Griswald, then drop your starter sword and drink 3 potions while giving yourself a reach-around and chanting in hindi".
I don't know how the fuck such a retarded idea took off, but I love that Blizzard acknowledged it so brilliantly. It's probably all because when you click the cow in Tristram the character says "yep, that's a cow". Thus a legend was born.