I thought this would make for some interesting discussion. Sam Harris posts these questions on his facebook. The comments on his questions are interesting.
"Anyone have an example of a "white" lie gone terribly wrong"?
Readers comments
"What about lies (in history, current events, literature) that have had great personal consequences -- e.g. destroyed a person's career, family life, etc. Madoff is a pretty good example. But I'm looking for a case where lying was the central issue (not theft, fraud, etc.)"
Readers comments