Final answer:
James Frey, Jayson Blair, and Greg Mortenson all fabricated stories and attempted to pass them off as true, resulting in damage to their careers and reputation.
Step-by-step explanation:
James Frey, Jayson Blair, and Greg Mortenson have one thing in common - they all fabricated stories and attempted to pass them off as true. For example, James Frey's book 'A Million Little Pieces' was marketed as a memoir but later revealed to contain fictional events. Similarly, Jayson Blair and Greg Mortenson were also involved in fabricating stories in their respective fields. These instances resulted in their reputation being tarnished and their careers being damaged.