The full quote is this:

>During the late Roman Empire, rulers like Julius Caesar and Nero owned homes in the town, which was known as a destination that aristocrats flocked to for drinking, parties and general hedonism.

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (aka Octavian) not only gained his great uncle's original property, but he invested quite heavily into property and other public works in Baiae with other emperors doing the same. Baiae was very much an "imperial city" and it definitely kicked off with Octavian.

The city gained much of its notoriety (or negative connotation for extravagance) as time went on.

And the sentence says "like", as in "hey reader, here are these two pretty familiar names who are not only relevant to the city itself, but also can give you an idea of the type of elite class we're talking about." It's a pretty succinct way of putting it and while reinforcing multiple points at once.

So it's not wrong. If you're going to be pedantic, at least be correct.