Small Frey

By now, most folks know about the controversy surrounding author James Frey and the fabrications in his Oprah-approved book, A Million Little Pieces.

Police reports, court records, interviews with law enforcement personnel, and other sources have put the lie to many key sections of Frey's book. The 36-year-old author, these documents and interviews show, wholly fabricated or wildly embellished details of his purported criminal career, jail terms, and status as an outlaw "wanted in three states."

In addition to these rap sheet creations, Frey also invented a role for himself in a deadly train accident that cost the lives of two female high school students. In what may be his book's most crass flight from reality, Frey remarkably appropriates and manipulates details of the incident so he can falsely portray himself as the tragedy's third victim. It's a cynical and offensive ploy that has left one of the victims' parents bewildered. "As far as I know, he had nothing to do with the accident," said the mother of one of the dead girls. "I figured he was taking license...he's a writer, you know, they don't tell everything that's factual and true."

But all of this is peanuts compared to other literary hoaxes. According to the Guardian, the #1 literay hoax of all-time is The Donatino of Constantine:

1. The Donation of Constantine

This Latin document, used for centuries to justify the popes' power over mere temporal rulers, described Constantine the Great's ceding of his rights to Pope Sylvester I, who had cured his leprosy, in the fourth century. It was probably written in the 760s. A scholar denounced in it 1440, but the argument continued until the 18th century.

Frey may have made up parts of his criminal life and invoked Oprah's wrath, but he didn't have any effect on popes and kings.