I think his manipulative ways target the right kind of people in fandom, who are maybe vulnerable, young perhaps, so they are susceptible to his rhetoric and buy into it and trust him implicitly. I'm not a thorough student of his MO but that's the only explanation I can come up with. Master manipulators develop those skills over years, and learn how to target a certain type of person who can be manipulated, and goodness knows he's had experience with this shit.