Yeah the issue with the Greeks and their fish tales is the Dark Ages. If it was written it was true. I've read a few accounts of the "transcription errors" in illuminated manuscripts that were basically performed to align the holy writ with the dogma of the time but the transmitted texts were God's own truth nonetheless. That whole "you should regard this as a rap battle not a Nature article" aspect of the ancient writers also has not trickled down to nearly enough popular science writers. Jane McGonigal quotes Heroditus a half-dozen times in Reality is Broken as if the dude was Walter Cronkite.

As far as "novelty is enough" I mean... sort of? Depending on the context? There's this mythical idea that wasabi only grows on the southern slopes of Mt. Fuji and then only when watered by geisha tears under the watchful eye of Amaterasu. Then there's the reality that it'll grow like a goddamn weed from Northern California to Southern British Columbia. Then there's this mythical idea that you can grow rich by growing wasabi (check out that illustration!). Then there's the reality that everyone who cares enough to eat real wasabi can grow their own wasabi and pretty much everyone else is totally cool with 99 cents a pound dyed horseradish.

Guaranteed, my neighbors wouldn't have made magnolia cookies if they hadn't seen it on Instagram. And guaranteed, anyone who attempted to market magnolia cookies would go bankrupt.