I just picked my jaw up off the floor after listening to this story on WFDD, my local NPR affiliate. Be sure to listen/read all the way to the kicker at the end.
As I’ve said before, and I’m sure I’ll say again: if you make it up, it’s fiction. The issue that this story skirts is how nonfiction has become (or, at least, perceived to be) much more lucrative than fiction, causing writers to get a little too creative with their creative nonfiction (and far too lazy with their research; real life provides more than enough drama).