Challenge to atheists: I find your lack of faith disturbing!

[DeistPaladin]

Damn good point, and a more recent example: the James Bond books, and the earlier James Bond MOVIES (as well as their countless imitators) were created during the Cold War period, but glamourise and romanticise the Cold War beyond all recognition. Something doesn't have to have receded into history to become a fanciful legend.

Interestingly, there was apparently a real spy that supposedly inspired the concept of the James Bond character. He went by the name of Sidney Reilly (actual name was Gregori Rosenblum). His "life" in the service of British intelligence, or at least the fanciful legends about it, were depicted in a 1983 TV series "Reilly, Ace of Spies".



So this turn-of-the-century master spy, who's actual story is probably hopelessly buried in legends and romanticized folklore, was later the inspiration for a fictional Cold-War era master spy.

So, was Gregori Rosenblum "The Historical James Bond"? I guess it depends on how much license you grant to qualify. And even if we agree on that, how much of the real story can we know vs. what's just fanciful tale-telling?

My aunt worked at the CIA (now retired). She never spoke of her work except to say there are no cars equipped with machine guns coming out the front lights nor did their vehicles have the ability to transform into a submarine. The crap you see in the James Bond movies is just that.

This is just one example of how legends grow. Even fiction is frequently inspired by real life people and events. And often these works of fiction are placed in real historical settings against real historical events (there was a Santa Anna but probably no Historical Zorro). That doesn't make them any less fictional.