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to Afghanistan with funds to construct half a dozen schools in the least-developed corner of that nation, the mysterious Wakhan Corridor. According to Three Cups of Tea (pages 314-316), Mortenson enjoyed a long conversation with the king of Afghanistan during this trip, aboard a Pakistan International Airlines flight to Kabul:
 
The king sat in the window seat. Mortenson recognized him from pictures on the old Afghan currency he ’ d seen for sale in the bazaars. At eighty-nine, Zahir Shah looked far older than his official portrait as he stared out the window of the PIA 737 at the country he ’ d been exiled from for nearly thirty years.
Aside from the king ’ s security detail and a small crew of stewardesses, Mortenson was alone on the short flight from Islamabad to Kabul with Afghanistan ’ s former monarch. When Shah turned away from the window, he locked eyes with Mortenson across the aisle.
“ As-Salaam Alaaikum , sir, ” Mortenson said.
“ And to you, sir, ” Shah replied.
     
    When Mortenson told the king that he was en route to northern Afghanistan ’ s seldom-visited Wakhan region to build schools, Zaher Shah patted the empty seat beside him and invited Greg to sit there. For the remainder of the flight they discussed the remoteness of the Wakhan, the recent invasion of Iraq, and how the latter was diverting crucial American resources and personnel from Afghanistan.
 
Zahir Shah placed his hand, with its enormous lapis ring, on Mortenson ’ s. “ I ’ m glad one American is here at least, ” he said. “ The man you want to see up north is Sadhar Khan. He ’ s a mujahid . But he cares about his people. ”
“ So I ’ ve heard, ” Mortenson said.
Zahir Shah pulled a calling card out of the breast pocket of the business suit he wore under his striped robe and called for one of his security guards to bring his valise. Then the king held his thumb to an inkpad and pressed his print on the back of the card. “ It may be helpful if you give this to Commandhan Khan, ” he said. “ Allah be with you. And go with my blessing. ”
     
    It ’ s a memorable account, layered with vivid particulars. It also happens to be fictitious. His Majesty Zaher Shah died in 2007, but when I contacted a close associate of the king to verify Mortenson ’ s story, he forwarded my query to Mostapha Zaher, the monarch ’ s grandson and successor. Zaher ’ s reply was immediate and unequivocal:
 
I wish to categorically state, and in no uncertain terms, that my late grandfather had NEVER   taken the mentioned flight PIA 737 from Islamabad to Kabul   during the Holy Month Ramadhan of 2003. As a matter of fact, he has NEVER traveled on any PIA flights from 1973 to 2007, the year of his passing away [emphasis by Zaher]. The information provided by the person [Mortenson] is simply not factual.
     
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    IN THE WAKE of the Parade article, as Mortenson ’ s fame continued to grow and the donations kept increasing, his grandiosity and mendacity only became more pronounced. “ Greg was horrible to work for, ” says an ex-employee whom Mortenson hired when the CAI staff expanded to make the most of the Parade donations.
    “ It was very important for him to test people, to test their loyalty, ” explains another staffer who was brought on around the same time. “ He played a lot of mind games. His management style was to divide and conquer. He ’ d lean forward, tell you how important you were to him, then badmouth other staff so you felt like he was confiding in you. But the staff talked to each other, so we learned he was badmouthing each of us to everyone else. We were all like, ‘ You ’ re kidding! That ’ s what he told you? ’
    “ Working for Greg was like being on a roller coaster, ” this ex-employee continues. “ One day he was telling you how great you were, and then for no apparent reason he would give you the icy treatment … . We went through a two- or three-month period where Greg wasn ’ t