있었다는

In a sentence

• 과거에 그 장소에는 오래된 사원들이 있었다는 이야기를 들었다.

  I heard a story that in the past, there were old temples at that location.

  In this sentence, '있었다는' is used to refer to an indirect statement about the existence of old temples in the past.

• 그 기록에 따르면 옛날에는 이곳에 희귀한 동물이 있었다는 보고가 있었다.

  According to the records, there was a report that rare animals existed here in the old days.

  Here, '있었다는' indicates reported or referenced information about the past existence of rare animals as documented.

• 현지 주민들의 말에 따르면 이 지역에 신기한 현상이 있었다는 소문이 있다.

  According to local residents, there is a rumor that strange phenomena took place in this area.

  This usage of '있었다는' expresses a speculative or rumored event that supposedly occurred in the described area in the past.