People apparently assumed that crime ceased to exist once you were five miles above the Earth, or that commercial aircraft were under the jurisdiction of Zeus, King of Olympus.
We get so tied up in slut-shaming contemporary celebrities that it's easy to forget how some of history's greatest minds spent most their energy having the nastiest sex they could get their hands on.
Historical truth is a complicated and nuanced thing, so while there might be elements of truth to the popular story you know, it's rarely the complete truth.
The little ploys that modern faith healers and shady preachers use to fleece the masses have been around for thousands of years, and if anything, they've only gotten less inspired over time.