Repainting or re-flavoring preexisting magic items with unique flavors, histories, or restrictions is a great way to introduce memorable stuff into campaigns. Is that what you mean?
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Every Major NPC level 10+ has an item of legend. Heirloom weapon or a suit of armor or some item of personal value, not all are of a awe inspiring magical nature.
A Famous War Hero has an heirloom sword, or the barbarian chief wields a red tipped spear that turned the tide of a great battle.
Add a little history to a simple +1 sword and it becomes a world building item.
Mr. Fishy invents and sometime openly steals ideas from moives and books.
The key to originality is obscure research...Google Lamashtu.
getting ideas from a book is fine, if the players don't know the story you can even take it 1:1.
I've played once a campaign and half into it realized it was exactly the universe of roger zelazny (9 princes of amber), I only read the first book, so I was still surprised often enough.
Half the scenarios I "invent" are a patchwork of ideas I saw on TV-shows.
Don't worry about being unoriginal, just if you know that the players know, use it as an homage (and try to not overdo it), if you know that your players don't know, don't tell them until it's over.