Seriously, something similar was an actual rumor back in the day: He was former special forces, with plenty of tattoos representing his missions and the people he'd killed.
Well, he also liked swimming, and many could attest that he didn't have any tattoos. His only "vice" was that when he was alone, he sometimes enjoyed swimming naked.
Source: I honestly don't remember. Feel free to fact check me.
Yeah. He "accidentally" sexually assaulted a 19-year old under the guise of "cleansing"/"annointing with oil". She did not know that his """"technique"""" was not at all normal or sanctioned.
The outcome of the case unfortunately ended with "well, she technically consented, and clergy does not fall under the umbrella of professions who may be prosecuted for taking advantage of vulnerable people."
We are now trying to change these laws for my state.
Abusers and grifters will twist any narrative to fit their personal wants and needs. Fiction will turn to fact. They will spread untruths to send a message, to tell a story.
I think the rumor got started because people conflated Fred and Bob Ross who was an actual Air Force DS and started painting when he got tired of screaming at people. The version I heard as a youth was the super badass SF guy with hidden tats under the shirt but you could see he had no sleeves on the show