Eric B. Shiraev is a professor, researcher, author, and editor of more than twenty books in the fields of political psychology, international relations, and cross-cultural [...] multi-disciplinary approach emphasizes the role of culture and identity in social behavior and politics. He is a co-founder of the Research Lab on Character Assassination and Reputation Politics (CARP).

Jennifer Keohane is an assistant professor and director of oral communication at the University of Baltimore in Baltimore, Maryland. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. With other founding members of CARP, she recently co-edited the Routledge Handbook on Character Assassination and Reputation Management.

Martijn Icks is a lecturer in ancient history at the University of Amsterdam. He specializes in Roman imperial history and the history of character assassination. His book on the Roman emperor Elagabalus has appeared in three languages. He is a co-founder of CARP.

Sergei A. Samoilenko is an assistant professor at the Department of Communication at George Mason University. He served as a past president of the Communication Association of Eurasian Researchers (CAER) and a co-founder of the Research Lab for Character Assassination and Reputation Politics (CARP) at George Mason University. He is a co-editor of Routledge Handbook of Character Assassination and Reputation Management, Handbook of Research on Deception, Fake News, and Misinformation Online, and Media and Public Relations Research in Post-Soviet Societies.

1. Introduction 2. Character Assassination in History 3. Approaches and Methodology to Study Character Assassination 4. The Actors in Character Attacks 5. Content and Types of Character Attacks 6. Means and Venues 7. The Impact of Character Attacks 8. Defending Against and Managing Character Attacks 9. The Culture Factor 10. Character Assassination in Democracies 11. The Political Factor: Authoritarianism 12. Character Assassination in International Relations 13. The Gender and Sexuality Factor 14. Character Attacks in Sports, Science, and Entertainment Conclusion