A new study suggests that Vincent Van Gogh may have fabricated the famous story of self-mutilation surrounding his severed ear, which he wrapped in a cloth and presented to a prostitue, in order to protect the artist Paul Gauguin, who'd lopped it off with a sword during an argument in front of a brothel. From Telegraph:

German art historians say the true version of events never surfaced as the two men both kept a "pact of silence" – Gauguin to avoid prosecution and Van Gogh in a vain attempt to keep a friend with whom he was hopelessly infatuated. ... Other Van Gogh experts, including those at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, disagree with the authors' claims. However, Nina Zimmer, the curator of a major Van Gogh exhibition in Basel, was less sure: "Perhaps they're right, but all the hypotheses are valid given the lack of material," she told Le Figaro.

In short, anything is possible. Read the whole sordid tale here. And see the ABC news coverage here.