This was Rome, where legends of ancient gods persisted.
People close to Gerasimov say that the story is a pure fabrication but the legend still persists.
Minor details are wrong - he retired in 1953 at the age of 73 - but the legend persists.
The legend nonetheless persisted in the popular imagination.
Neither claim is true but the urban legend persists.
Two legends persist about famous visitors to the house.
Two legends persist about the origin of its name.
Even after the tree's destruction, and certainty that the tale is not true, the legend persists.
This legend persisted for more than forty years even in academic circles.
Without the proof, the urban legend still persists in popular culture.