This is the 4476th most frequent German word.
lebende
"Lebende" means "living" or "alive" in English.
In this sentence, 'lebende' is used as an attributive adjective to describe 'Legende', indicating that the legend is living or alive.
Die lebende Legende erzählte die Geschichte selbst.
The living legend told the story herself.
Here, 'lebende' is used as an attributive adjective describing 'Zellen', denoting that the cells are alive and active.
Die Forscher untersuchten lebende Zellen im Labor.
The researchers examined living cells in the laboratory.
In this instance, 'lebende' describes 'Personen', emphasizing that the people he met are currently living.