A young orphan who falls in love with vampire Stefan Salvatore and later his brother, Damon, creating a love triangle. When Stefan shuts his humanity off after being blackmailed by Klaus, Damon emotionally supports Elena. This results in her being drawn into the supernatural world and her struggles in surviving supernatural events in the town.Elena had been struggling to live a normal life ever since her adoptive parents, Miranda and Grayson Gilbert, died in a car accident when she was seventeen years old. Her life also changed drastically as she and her friends are caught up in the supernatural world that surrounds them and are forced to face powerful supernatural enemies. Elena was described as a star student. She was popular, sporty, smart, compassionate, empathetic, caring and friendly. She could be very vulnerable and a damsel in distress. Elena is best friends with Bonnie Bennett, her sister-in-law Caroline Forbes, Matt Donovan, and her husband, Damon Salvatore. She was also close friends with her late brother-in-law/ex-boyfriend, Stefan Salvatore. Her actions and beliefs throughout the series have been most influenced by her on-and-off romantic relationships with the Salvatore brothers, as well as by her antagonistic relationship with Katerina Petrova.