Is “He pulled out an arrow from his eye and ate the eyeball.” true?
based on fact
The Records of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Wei, Biography of Xiahou Dun, with commentary by Pei Songzhi citing the Book of Wei, records that he was hit in the left eye by a stray arrow during a campaign against Lü Bu; the act of 'pulling out the arrow and eating the eye' is a literary exaggeration.
Xiahou Dun
In official history, he was a founding figure of Wei known for his frugality and loyalty, while in fiction he is famous as a fierce warrior who ate his own eye after pulling out an arrow.