Hmmm. On a smaller scale, I recall that the student body in a high school somewhere invented a fake female senior who was such a great achiever that she ended up getting elected president of the student council and valedictorian....but she never existed.

Accordingly, she did not show up to give the valedictory address! ;-)

And the sheep were in a great state of confusion....but not nearly so great as that of the shepherds!