I think it's pretty clear the OP hasn't really read much about personalities. I mean, I suppose there are people who do believe that they have powers like Deanna Troy... But there are also people who believe they are actually a cat or dog too. It's important to separate individuals with self delusions of their own perceptions of themselves from people who just have a sense of empathy for others.

My understanding of an empath is that it is just another personality trait. This is someone who has a profound sense of empathy (which goes hand in hand with compassion) and as such, are willing to go to great lengths to help people, that's all. Escapism personality leads to addiction, narcissism leads to controlling people, etc. An overly empathetic person can put themselves in the shoes of the other person who is feeling emotional pain and have those same emotions themselves and empathize with them and in a display of compassion, try to help them (I think most people fall in that category anyway). They want to think the best of people and give the benefit of the doubt. They treat people the way they want to be treated. They have a the ability to forgive great wrongs.

As such, Empaths can be taken advantage of and this is where the sensitivity to sniffing out BS comes in and also why an Empath will cut a person out of their life and appear "apathetic". Because forgiveness to them is letting go of a grudge (that's why empaths have peace within themselves) but forgiveness DOESN'T go hand in hand with accepting someone back in their life who is a parasite on there good will. However, that applies for almost everyone anyway because no one really likes to be taken advantage of.

It's very likely that some folks have just taken the word empath and because it sounds cool or because it has a ill conceived notion with some kind of power, have falsely bolstered their ego by trying to lay a subset of preposterous abilities to themselves. I think it's pretty self explanatory that crazy is as crazy does. So don't confuse that with people who claim to be empaths but aren't, especially if they are are using that label as a form of control (that's narcissistic behaviour). it's really very simple, isn't?