> People cannot bear the thought that artists, scientists and public figures in general are real people, with flaws and all.

Possibly related to the Fundamental Attribution Error in psychology:

"The fundamental attribution error (also known as correspondence bias or over-attribution effect) is the tendency for people to over-emphasize dispositional or personality-based explanations for behaviors observed in others while under-emphasizing situational explanations."

https://www.simplypsychology.org/fundamental-attribution.htm...