Well, if you believe Henry Purcell's only opera, "Dido and Aeneas," the answer is yes. The foundation of Rome definitely stemmed from a serious incidence of fake news.
Why bring this up now? Well, fake news is definitely in the news and equally to the point, the Mark Morris Dance Group is currently performing Purcell's opera at the Brooklyn Academy of Music along with a short opera by Benjamin Britten called "Curlew River."