Shakespeare used historical and literary sources as references for his plays. The Taming of the Shrew was based in part on an annonymous ballad known as A Merry Jest of a Shrewede and Curste Wyfe. Opera composers Verdi, Gounod, and Benjamin Britten have based their work on Shakespeare's plays.
Do today's writers steal their stories too? There are a number of popular fiction writers these days that base their work on Greek mythology. The Lightning Theif by Rick Riordan, Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaugh, Abandon by Meg Cabot, Troy by Adele Geras to name a few. Fan fiction amateur writers base their work on popular culture television series, movies or books. While this is technically copyright infringement, some authors welcome fanfic as long as it is shared freely. Fan fiction writers need to understand, however, that not all authors will overlook it or welcome it.
Who hasn't seen a movie that was based on a book? Patriot Games, Twilight, The Notebook, Bridget Jones Diary and Minority Report are examples of these. The screen writer collaborates with the novelist to create visual storytelling that may or may not stay true to the original work.
So how do you steal a story without really stealing? It is legal to start with characters or places first introduced in works of fiction no longer under copyright. You can browse the Project Gutenberg list for books in the public domain. Folk tales are also in public domain, available for you to play with.
Take the basic story or character and ask questions. "What if" is always a good place to start.
What if two unrelated characters met?
What if the character's story world change forever?
What if a most valued posession was lost or taken?
What if this character were transported to another place or time?
Now go have fun with it. Steal something and make it your own.
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