 English forces laid siege to Loch Leven in 1301 , but the garrison was relieved in the same year when the siege was broken by Sir John Comyn . King Robert the Bruce ( reigned 1306 – 1329 ) is known to have visited the castle in 1313 and again in 1323 . Following Bruce 's death , the English invaded again , and laid siege to Loch Leven Castle in 1335 in support of the pretender Edward Balliol ( d . 1364 ) . According to the 14th @-@ century chronicle of John of Fordun , the English attempted to flood the castle by building a dam across the outflow of the loch . The water level rose for a month , until the captain of the English force , Sir John de Stirling , left to attend the festival of Saint Margaret of Scotland . The defenders , under Alan de Vipont , took the opportunity to come out of the castle at night , and damaged the dam , causing it to collapse and flood the English camp . The story has , however , been doubted by later historians . 
