Does one often use this basis for consuming autobiographies? I'd rather think the common cause for reading an autobiography is because it is interesting, or because the person is interesting, or notable to history in some way, and you want more insight into their life and way of thinking. I'm admittedly not much for autobiographies myself, and the only memoir I actively chose to read was Napoleon's, but my choice to read it certainly wasn't because I thought he was a kind person.