U.S. swimmers' tall tale touches a raw nerve in Brazil

2016 Rio Olympics - Athletics - Final - Men's Decathlon Javelin Throw - Groups - Olympic Stadium - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 18/08/2016. A poster showing a likeness of Ryan Lochte (USA) of USA is seen at the stadium. REUTERS/Dominic Ebenbichler

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - When an angry crowd of Brazilians jeered U.S. Olympic gold medal swimmers Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger, calling them 'liars' and giving one of them a tug on the ear, the young Americans looked shocked by the ferocity of their reaction.

What they appeared not to realise was that a fabricated story about how they and two team mates had been robbed at gunpoint - allegedly told to cover up an act of vandalism at a Rio gas station - hit a raw nerve in this South American nation.