Agree with all of this. Recruiters are... tricky. As you say, they're usually more comfortable lying than your potential peers are, so they're not a good source

Agree with all of this. Recruiters are... tricky. As you say, they're usually more comfortable lying than your potential peers are, so they're not a good source of information about the company's dirty laundry. But they are perfect advocates. More than any other interviewer, the recruiter wants you to get hired. They don't care how well you perform on the job, they just want their number to be one higher! So they can tell you what the Hiring Manager's pet peeves are, and help you craft your story so it appeals to them. Thanks for reading!