“Fabulist” — from the Latin “fabula,” meaning “conversation, narrative, tale, play,” and also “fari,” meaning “to speak, say” — has both positive and negative connotations, depending on how it’s used. For the former, it can be applied in an artistic context, referring to someone who writes or creates stories. Think of Aesop, of “Aesop’s Fables,” which contain many familiar stories such as “The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” and “The Hare and the Tortoise.” But “fabulist” can also refer to a liar. You can say such a person tells tall tales, which are similar to fables but without a moral lesson.