We listened to his familiar 'tale of woe/misfortune' as he talked again about the failure of his marriage.
They sat around the campfire telling 'tall tales' about their hunting adventures.
Their marriage is a real-life 'fairy tale'. [=they have a very happy marriage]
(..) truly believe that such objects exist. Do you? Do you believe they exist, sir? Well... I see no reason to put stock into an old wives' tale. You're lying! You know one exists. You told him about it. You told him about the Elder Wand... and where he could go looking for it. (..)2011 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2