Puppets in the Mahabharata: The author Guru Vyasa controls his characters/puppets, while he himself is controlled by Sri Vishnu, who also manifests within Guru Vyasa's story, as Sri Krishna.

Sri Vishnu

Guru Vyasa

(L-R) Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, Karna, Sahadeva, Yudhishthira, Draupadi, Sri Krishna, Arjuna, Bheema, Nakula, Duryodhana, Dushhasana and Kunti.