"inventing a singer then pretending he'd collected it "
If that's what he did, I have no doubt you are right as far as his claims and aspirations of 'scholarship' - as a singer, it does't really matter - traditional singers lifted tunes and substituted new directions for songs all the time to suit themselves all the time.- no problem as long as no academic were made of the new production.
As far as you later posting is concerned, I was offered a good piece of advice recently on this very subject - if you don't wind the clock it eventually stops
Jim Carroll