While the stories of the Three Musketeers are set in the time of King Louis XIII (not Louis XIV), the characters themselves - Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and later D'Artagnan - were created by Alexandre Dumas in his novels.
Here's why it's a myth:
* Fictional Setting: The books are set during the reign of Louis XIII, not Louis XIV.
* Fictional Characters: The musketeers themselves are entirely made up by Dumas. While there were real musketeers in the French army, they were not the famous trio we see in the books and movies.
* Romance vs. Reality: While the novels offer an exciting and romanticized view of life in the French court, the reality of the musketeers' lives was likely quite different.
So, while King Louis XIV was indeed a real king, he didn't have the Three Musketeers as part of his court or his army. They're characters from fiction.