His aunt (Cai Feng's sister) married Zhang Wen, who served as the Grand Commandant (太尉) during the reign of Emperor Ling.
The Cai family would later be robbed and massacred by bandits during the Yongjia era (307–313) of the Jin dynasty (266–420).
When Liu Qi heard about it, he found an excuse to leave Xiangyang and be the Administrator of Jiangxia Commandery.
In the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cai Mao is cast as a minor villain of sorts alongside Liu Biao's maternal nephew Zhang Yun (張允).
In the opening stages of the Battle of Red Cliffs in the winter of 208–209, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun lead Cao Cao's naval forces into battle against Sun Quan's navy, which is led by Zhou Yu.
After losing in the initial skirmishes, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun suggest to Cao Cao to link all his battleships with iron chains to improve stability and reduce the chances of the soldiers falling seasick from all the rocking while sailing on the river.