Hello Historians!

According to wiki:

Christman Genipperteinga was a German bandit and serial killer of the 16th century. He reportedly murdered 964 individuals starting in his youth over a 13-year period, from 1568 until his capture in 1581.[1][2] The story of Christman Genipperteinga is contained in a contemporary pamphlet from 1581. As early as in 1587, just 6 years after its publication, at least one chronicler included the story as factual.

How authentic is the report surrounding this person? The current historical view seems to be the pamphlet describes actual events. Wiki quotes historian Joy Wiltenburg:

The topical crime accounts that flowed from the early presses were not fiction. Although some sloppily borrowed language from accounts of similar crimes elsewhere, very few seem to have been wholly invented.(...) Nevertheless (...) they both mirrored and altered the picture of actual crime (...)

Regarding the size of the crime I would assume outrageous claims require outrageous proof. How accurate are the descriptions of Genipperteinga's crimes? How big is the true core?

Particularly because the pamphlet states, that Genipperteinga confessed to the 964 murders under torture:

...und peinlich gefraget / Er alsbald bekennt / wie er von seiner jugend auff 964 Mördt begangen ... peinlich befragen = torture

Is it possible he was just a scapegoat?