^This! So much, this!

Almost every bully I have encountered plays the victim to authority while gossiping about people behind their backs or getting ppl to gang up on the real victim. When the real victim tries to stand up for themselves, the bully paints them as the bully and often people believe it. It's seriously manipulative and pathological behavior. I am always wary when someone tells me they are being bullied until I hear the whole story.