How Rumors get started

Twenty years ago I worked in a buy, sell store. Just before Christmas this old logger comes in, hickory shirt, Loggers World suspenders, wants to sell his hunting rifle. In the show case I had a steam whistle as "bait" with a steam items wanted tag on it. After we buy the rifle he say's,"You interested in a steam locomotive" In my best noncommittal voice say, "Oh maybe." He then tells this story about logging for Lou Surcamp up the McKenzie River from Springfield, Oregon. He said they found a Heisler down in the canyon when they were logging the area. He gives me the road, quarter section number, just how the locomotive was sitting, the condition just where it was from the landing, everything. Said that someone had taken all the brass but it looked to be in good condition. I knew the area, Booth Kelly had logged this area out of Wendling, I have followed miles of their row, this could be for real. He told me Lou had hooked the yarder to it, wanted to get it to the road, but couldn't move it. My best friend's cousin was married to Lou,
I called him and asked if he knew Lou very well, he said sure, I asked him to call Lou and ask about this story. He called me back in a few minutes and said Lou got a big laugh out of the story, yeah he knew the guy, big windbag, pure fiction. Question: why would someone make up a story like that? I guess just lonely and wanted to talk to someone.