They call me every 6 months or so, saying they're troubled and want my support. In good time, they try to get me to say certain bad things about people I care about. I feel compelled to play along.

I have it on good authority that they are known for this. They don't notice how much it hurts me to say these things and I haven't told them that I know what they're doing.

Meanwhile the people I don't want to hurt may have been listening to rumours for years and I've been keeping it to myself.

What could I do to put an end to this and to set everyone straight?