reputation vs. reality paper, any ideas?

Question

For my english class I need to write an essay about a persons image reputation vs. reality.
The person has to be well known so I can find a good book on them and should be somewhat controversial.
Please help me think of some people I can choose to write my essay on.
Just provide me a with list of some people including a brief description of their reputation and what they were in reality.

Examples:
Marilyn Monroe, reputation-classy sex icon, reality-drug addict

General Custer, myth- brave war hero, reality-hard headed and lead his troops to death caught up in his own fame

Thanks for your help

Answer 1

Try John Wayne. For all the cowboy image he was most comfortable wearing a business suit. And for all the cowboy image he was a surprisingly insecure person about his career and finances.

Answer 2

If the paper is to be one about reputation VS. reality I suggest you find an individual in which the two were eventually revealed to be in stark contrast. This would be the easiest way to go. The General Custer idea seems a good one. Any fallen religious figure (Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard, or one of the pedophile priests) would be quite easy to write about in this context -- so easy I think that I would choose one of them if I were doing such an assignment.