Shakespeare alluded to it in a broken sort of way. Robert Browning wrote a whole poem to it. So latterly has Martin Carthy,

So has Stephen King! It is mentioned considerably and the central character in the 'Dark Tower' or 'Gunsliger' series (I have seen it referred to as both) is called Roland.

Only out of interest - dunno if it adds anything to the discussion!

Cheers

Dave