I can't comment on the behavior of his students, but his ex-wife told the FBI that Feynman flew into violent rages and choked her on several occasions ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Feynman#Personal_and_p... ). I've always felt a bit queasy on reading that.
Another quote from that same link, from that same hateful person whose first grievance was that Feynman was just interested in calculations and playing the drum :
"I do not know—but I believe that Richard Feynman is either a Communist or very strongly pro-Communist—and as such is a very definite security risk."
I had read many books from and about Feynman, probably even more than the average HNer; first time I encounter such a claim. I do not believe in heroes and like to have my beliefs questioned, but in this instance I will still stand with Feynman. This case does not look like it is about violence.
Astrophysicist Angela Collier's video essay "the sham legacy of Richard Feynman" [0] is a good introduction. Her accounts of her own encounters with "Feynman bros" are heart-wrenching.
She seems to have missed the real reason why Feynman became so "popular": his series of textbooks. Maybe his name is not associated with such historical discoveries as those of Newton, Boltzmann or Einstein are, but writing one of the best textbook series is also a good reason to be famous, at least for as long as the content will remain relevant. Feynman, to me, is the American Landau: A mathematical and scientific genius whose immensely valuable legacy consists of teaching and textbooks rather than any novel breakthrough in theory.
Apart if you want more clicks on YouTube, I don't think it's fair to call him a sham, unless you believe every popularity is a sham, but I don't think it's the case being made here.
Not all Nobel prizes are equivalent to Newton, Boltzmann or Einstein. Have a look at the video if you wonder why I focus on those three.
I am well aware that he did not publish his lecture notes himself, yet I believe he had written some notes and was not improvising in front of the amphiteater every day. Let's not argue about such trivia though.
