Who is Ulysses from Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain and what is their importance?

Ulysses is a character from classical Greek literature. In one story of Ulysses, he has himself lashed to the mast of his boat so that he might hear the song of the dangerous sea sirens without being lured by them onto the rocks. Eagleman explains that this kind of self-restraint has come to be known as a "Ulysses contract."