[cia_plant]

What about, say, Isaac Newton? He invented calculus, but did not share the discovery for years, until after he'd used it to work out an entire theory of physics. He hardly collaborated with others and his ideas can hardly be considered anything but brilliant. How is this story mythical?

I could ask the same question about Einstein, Grothendieck, Ramanujan, or Perelman. Or in other areas than math/physics, there are people like Emily Dickinson, one of the greatest poets in history, who lived as a recluse. In philosophy, Kant and Nietzche are I think examples of relatively isolated thinkers - at least during some of their critical periods - who are standouts in their field.