Jafar Inspiration
I'm reading "Caliphate" for my world history class, and it turns out there was an actual man named "Ja'far" who was a vizier/advisor to the caliph Harun. Ja'far was loyal and helpful, but one day out of the blue the caliph decided to execute him and his family. The Arabian Nights, which Aladdin was part of, is based off that time period.
Anyway, do you think making Jafar an evil sorcerer was an attempt to explain the sudden execution and turn the public against the vizier?