There’s no denying that the image of Dr. King has been distorted over time to make his bold, radical message more “palatable.

A 34-year-old woman who posed as a Boston high school student befriended children ages 13 to 16, telling them she had a foster mother and convincing them they were helping her with personal issues.

Trust takes years to build and seconds to destroy. These stories sound too twisted to be real—but they really happened to ...