Yes, and yes! Phaedrus. In our age of spin, words are often used to construct alternative realities altogether. Case in point: that CBS Reagan movie. Although I have not seen it, and doubt I ever will, from what I've heard, it's an attempt by a bunch of people who love to hate the former president, to "reinvent" both Mr. & Mrs. Reagan as people they are not. It's an exercise in rewriting history by falsifying it.
Best to get our heads out of our doctrines, and look closely and directly at what is really going on in "nature's laboratory." That ought to keep us honest (one hopes).
Indeed, "real life" is the laboratory. But for good or ill, words are a powerful influence on what happens in the lab.