Is “His appearance and virtue were unmatched in the Jiang-Huai region” true?
attested in history
The 'Records of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Wu, Biography of Zhou Yu' cites the 'Chronicles of Jiang Biao' in Pei Songzhi's annotation, which states that Jiang Gan had a dignified appearance and eloquence unmatched in the Jiang-Huai region, and was a renowned literatus, not the shallow and petty man depicted in the novel.
Jiang Gan
In official history, he was a scholar unmatched in the Jiang-Huai region for his eloquence and bearing, but in the novel he is portrayed as a ridiculous buffoon who steals letters and falls for tricks.