If anything this means the person didn't want to fit in the mold. I shall remind that school first and primary purpose when it has been created was to format and mold people so that they would be more uniformized and easier to control.

Self-taught people, misfits (regardless of how that sounds like), etc. tend to think for themselves, be more creative and more critical.

Obviously,someone who's willing to risk his and his family life to testify against what he believe is wrong as such a high level is predisposed to have at least some similar past.

but then again, we do derive from the point, thus, yes,smearing works.