8. Green Man

Raymond Robinson, the real-life “Green Man.” (Wikimedia Commons)

Legend: For decades in Western Pennsylvania, rumors spread that late at night, someone known as “The Green Man” or “Charlie No-Face” could be spotted walking alone down country roads.

Reality: During an electrical accident when he was only eight years old, Raymond “Ray” Robinson lost both his eyes, his nose, an ear, and his arm, rendering him so disfigured that he only ventured outside for walks late at night where he wouldn’t scare people or be ridiculed by them. His skin had been so disfigured by the childhood accident, it was said to have a sickly green glow. Although he may have inadvertently frightened those who came upon him late at night, he terrorized no one and in reality was often bullied and tormented by townsfolk. (source)

9. Man Wakes Up With His Kidney Stolen

Legend: A tourist visits an exotic locale, befriends a stranger at a bar, goes back with them to a motel, then is knocked unconscious. They awake with a searing pain in their side—the result of a stolen kidney—and a note telling them to go to the hospital if they want to remain alive.

Reality: In 2008, a “kidney racket” was uncovered in India where this allegedly mythological practice was standard operating procedure among a criminal cartel that specialized in robbing poor people of bodily organs and selling them to rich people.

According to one of the verified victims, Saleem Muhammad:

When I woke up after several hours, I felt a pain in my right side….The men said, ‘We have removed your kidney, and you better not breathe a word about it.’ My life broke into pieces when I heard that. (source)