Papillon is a one of the very few books/novels I have ever read (it was given to me and I was bored at the time). The story of how a convicted murder and self-confessed paedophile, presumably made large amounts of money from a book, is indeed an amazing one.
Although the accuracy of the 'true story' is somewhat in doubt :
According to its author, Papillon is an autobiographical novel. It is not actually true—all the events and jails which he describes do not correspond to the supposed time frame. In reality nowadays it is at best regarded as a narrative novel, depicting the adventures of several of Charrière's fellow inmates, among them Charles Brunier. Thus, Papillon is more about a fictional character than the real man who was the author. Charrière had a reputation as a great fantasizer and storyteller
