'At one point she may have been charismatic other wise how could she have snowed a bunch of old guys.'
I can think of a few ways. Do you think that old billionaire who married Anna Nicole Smith did so because of her charisma?
Well, depending on the definition of 'charisma' that one uses, then maybe so.
A lot of guys are pretty gullible. I am always amazed that there are dudes who throw money at strippers in strip clubs. This simply shows their own weakness. There are innumerable fish in DaSea, why are you throwing your money just to look at one or a few? Go to DaBeach and look at hundreds for free if you need to.
But: Kissinger, for instance, told Auletta that Holmes had an "ethereal quality." 'She is like a member of a monastic order,' Kissinger said."
Ethereal, but no audited financials even when it had become fairly sizable. As I tell my kids, "run from early stage startups. They pay off... almost never."