According to interviews, Puzo experienced only two incidents in his life that were reflected in the book: guns passed through apartment windows; and a woman evicted because of a dog. Supposedly he wrote GF to pay off gambling debts. Don Corleone is a composite of various Mafia Dons (especially Frank Costello), and some of the incidents (e.g., his victory over "Maranzalla," his intervention with the bandleader) are based on life. But there's nothing journalistic or biographical about the GF.