diff --git a/changes/bug4837 b/changes/bug4837
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..16a61d1b397caced4cac644c4202d59b984929b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/bug4837
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+  o Minor bugfixes:
+    - Fix the log message describing how we work around discovering
+      that our version is the ill-fated OpenSSL 0.9.8l. Fixes bug
+      4837; bugfix on 0.2.2.9-alpha.
diff --git a/src/common/tortls.c b/src/common/tortls.c
index 28bb3f9b4132c8c3b164153cf03180f865528880..908337f799991eccfc878df2fdf26af5a7446008 100644
--- a/src/common/tortls.c
+++ b/src/common/tortls.c
@@ -475,8 +475,10 @@ tor_tls_init(void)
      * a test of intelligence and determination.
      */
     if (version > OPENSSL_V(0,9,8,'k') && version <= OPENSSL_V(0,9,8,'l')) {
-      log_notice(LD_GENERAL, "OpenSSL %s looks like version 0.9.8l; "
-                 "I will try SSL3_FLAGS to enable renegotation.",
+      log_notice(LD_GENERAL, "OpenSSL %s looks like version 0.9.8l, but "
+                 "some vendors have backported renegotiation code from "
+                 "0.9.8m without updating the version number. "
+                 "I will try SSL3_FLAGS and SSL_OP to enable renegotation.",
                  SSLeay_version(SSLEAY_VERSION));
       use_unsafe_renegotiation_flag = 1;
       use_unsafe_renegotiation_op = 1;