There’s nothing more discouraging to starting an interview off with the wrong bit of information. The other day I was interviewing a chef. I mentioned his hometown of Nashville. He looked at me oddly and said, “I wasn’t born there.”
That really was a bit embarrassing. A little hard to dig out of such a hole you’ve just dug. Not only was it part of my whole interview strategy, but it also questioned my research and made me look like an idiot. However he was a great guy, very accommodating. He saw the humor in it. I explained to him how I got that erroneous information, and we continued on, and it was truly a great interview. But with the wrong person, the wrong information does not make you look good.
Amateur hour called, they want their interviewer back.