Is a rabbi allowed to exaggerate stories about someone they see as a "bad character" in order to distance people from him?

Question

I am reading a summary of the halachot in chafetz chaim that I found by the geniza (can't quite figure out who wrote it) which makes mention of the possibility for a rabbi to speak lashon hara to his students, or a parent to their children, in order to convince them to distance themselves from a person with bad character traits (middot). This has a feel of incompleteness to me and I am wondering what qualifications there are on this heter.

I am also wondering specifically whether a similar principle would apply to someone from whom the public learns (i.e. gedolim)?

Answer 1

In addition to the qualifications @DanF pointed out, there are indeed some other qualifications mentioned in the passage to which you refer.

Chafetz Chayim - Laws of Malicious Speech 4:10

וְאַף עַל פִּי כֵן אִם רוֹאֶה אָדָם בִּאֶחָד מִדָּה מְגֻנָּה, כְּגוֹן: גַּאֲוָה אוֹ כַּעַס אוֹ שְׁאָרֵי מִדּוֹת רָעוֹת אוֹ שֶׁהוּא בַּטְלָן מִתּוֹרָה וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה, נָכוֹן לוֹ לְסַפֵּר דָּבָר זֶה לִבְנוֹ אוֹ לְתַלְמִידָיו וּלְהַזְהִירָם, שֶׁלֹּא יִתְחַבְּרוּ עִמּוֹ, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִלְמְדוּ מִמַּעֲשָׂיו, כִּי הָעִקָּר מַה שֶּׁהִזְהִירָה הַתּוֹרָה בְּלָשׁוֹן הָרָע, אֲפִלּוּ עַל אֱמֶת, הוּא אִם כַּוָּנָתוֹ לְבַזּוֹת אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ וְלִשְׂמֹחַ לִקְלוֹנוֹ, אבָל אִם כַּוָּנָתוֹ לִשְׁמֹר אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יִלְמֹד מִמַּעֲשָׂיו פָּשׁוּט דְּמֻתָּר וּמִצְּוָה נַמֵּי אִיכָּא גם כן יש. אַךְ בְּאֹפֶן זֶה וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה נִרְאֶה, דְּמִצְוָה לְהַמְסַפֵּר לְבָאֵר הַטַּעַם, לָמָּה מְסַפֵּר בִּגְנוּתוֹ שֶׁל חֲבֵרוֹ, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִטְעֶה הַשּׁוֹמֵעַ לְהַתִּיר עַל יָדוֹ יוֹתֵר מִזֶּה, וְגַם שֶׁלֹּא יָבוֹא לִתְמֹהַ עָלָיו, שֶׁהוּא סוֹתֵר אֶת עַצְּמוֹ, כִּי פַּעַם יֹאמַר לוֹ, שֶׁאָסוּר לְסַפֵּר אֲפִלּוּ עַל אֱמֶת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁיִּתְבָּאֵר לְקַמָּן בִּכְלָל ט', שֶׁמִּצְוָה רַבָּה הִיא לְהַפְרִישׁ בָּנָיו הַקְּטַנִּים מִּזֶּה הֶעָוֹן, וְעַתָּה הוּא מְסַפֵּר בְּעַצְּמוֹ

Qualifications include. . .

• The observation of the repulsive traits must have been firsthand (presumably so that one is very confident it is true).

• One's intent must be purely defensive - on behalf of the recipient - and not derisive.

• One must explain why one is giving the negative description, so that the recipient is not disillusioned or misled about the speaker's standards of speech.

There is no mention of an allowance for exaggeration or straying from the truth that I can see. Also note that there is no mention of a rabbi in this passage and it sounds like it would apply regardless of who the recipient and subject were.

_{(In the context however, the guidelines for correcting the mistakes of more or less receptive neighbors is detailed and would presumably apply here to restrict whom would be appropriate to direct such warnings at.)}