This is a good counterexample for when you should believe a story like this -- the author is a historian who made an effort to "tell the truth" as best as he co

This is a good counterexample for when you should believe a story like this -- the author is a historian who made an effort to "tell the truth" as best as he could, it doesn't describe anything implausible, he was rightfully skeptical about his own sources, and information that he used to say that the story was probably false is now evidence that it might be true. Herodotus wasn't immune from spreading bullshit(to say the least: https://listverse.com/2015/04/08/10-historical-facts-that-herodotus-got-hilariously-wrong/ https://listverse.com/2015/04/08/10-historical-facts-that-he...), but he at least gives you a good idea of where he was getting the bullshit from and gives you all the information you need to figure out if it was bullshit.