What is the truth behind legends?

This spring break, i went to Colonial Williamsburg. While there, we went on a ghost tour of the town, where we hear the different ghost stories and legends that took place there. They had it set up so that when you went to the houses, a "ghost" would come out and tell you their story. Afterwards, the tour guide would tell the group the truth about the story. Most of the truths were completely different from the legends. It made me wonder how these legends had evolved from the truths. As time goes by, the stories are passed down through generations of people, and the stories are changed a little bit each time. In the end, the stories are completely different then how they originally started, kind of like the game Telephone. It also made me wonder about all the legends we know today, and how far they are from the truth. Things like George Washington's famous cherry tree, or the stories in the bible, or people like Rosa Parks, who, as we discussed in class, might not have been the hero we thought she was. It is kind of sad to think that the stories we have grown up on and the heros who have influenced us might not all be what we think they are.