Left: Herodotus; Right: James Frey
13. Herodotus
Herodotus, an ancient Greek author, wrote a history of the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars. Accordingly, he is known as both the Father of History and the Father of Lies. Among other lies, he exaggerated the size of the Persian armies to make the Greeks appear more heroic.
14. James Frey
Frey was an author whose best selling memoir, A Million Little Pieces, about his years as an alcoholic, drug addict and criminal, and his subsequent recovery attracted the attention of Oprah Winfrey, and her on-air book club in October 2005. The problem was, Frey’s story was entirely made up! An investigation by the News Organization, The Smoking Gun, revealed Frey’s lies. In a subsequent on air interview with Winfrey, Frey was forced to confess that his memoir was entirely fictional.
