If we're talking about narcissists, that's another story. Some people manipulate us because they don't respect SP's and women in general..
But yeah true narcissists are a thing, and they believe their own lies to an extent. I was friends for a very long time with an extremely manipulative and narcissistic person. He presented himself as this sweet, childlike, artistic and spiritual person. People really fell for that persona, and he really did have gifts. Over time, I started realizing how abusive and manipulative he was. I would hear stories about him from mutual friends and he would tell me a completely different version of the story and seemed completely convinced that it was the truth. Over time, I ended up understanding that he was lying to maintain constant victim status when actually he was behaving in ways that were boundary crossing or plain horrifying. The hold this person had on me was so strong and it took a really long time for me to finally see him for who he really was, but now I know better and I am great at identifying types like this lol
When I was talking about people trying to manipulate SP's, I was talking about a phenomenon that is fairly common and that we notice more and more as we gain experience as a SP. A phrase I often heard and don't as much lately is "if you're using a text app and a fake name i can use them too".. which is a really manipulative argument that is insulting to my intelligence honestly lol. But that doesn't mean the person who said it is a complete narcissist.