Who/what are the major intelligent undead monsters?

I know this is probably just my own take/twist of the concept, but IMO the Death Knight is more an "undead leader" than a Lich or a Vampire.

I rather see a Lich as someone thoroughly devoted to his own agenda, who embraced undeath as a mean to prolong his earthly presence. Since this implied probably a plenty of necromantic knowledge, while at it he might use necromancy to create an army for himself, but probably it wouldn't make a difference whether his army is made of undead or orcs or humans or whatever. The typical Lich just doesn't care IMO, he choses whatever works best, although that might eventually also be a whole undead nation.

As for a Vampire, I wouldn't be so sure he even likes other undead... Vampires are by definitions exploiters of mortals, and I fancy they would not be amused one bit by ruling zombies. They'd rather want to mingle with the living, for better purposes!

I am not wholly aware of the original concept behind a Death Knight, so it's possible that I am just making it up, but it's the only undead monster that I would really see fit in becoming a champion of the undead, and of undeath.

Otherwise I guess also a Ghoul King would work, but strictly as a leader of a ghoul nation, not undead in general.

So in a nutshell:
- Death Knight -> loves (un)death, loves undead
- Lich -> exploits undeath, exploits undead but couldn't care less
- Vampire -> maybe loves his own undeath maybe not (could be a tragic figure), dislikes/detest other undead
- Ghoul King -> loves ghouls and being a ghoul, dislikes everyone else

Ghosts and revenants usually have their own very unique stories, too individual to be a people, or leaders of their own kind.

A special snowflake Wight or Wraith on the other hand could also work...

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