I feel that in game a lot of what the characters say about Talos is complete Imperial propaganda, they say that he was a loving caring leader...despite murdering millions of people to form his own empire!

He was definitely a ruthless warlord. Most successful people in that world are ruthless.

He was both, in TES (as well as in our world, sort of) being a ruthless warlords doesn't mean that someone was not benevolent hero. Besides Talos =/=Tiber=/=Hjalti

I just refer to Tiber as Talos, but I know the difference. Honestly it just pisses me off how much they make it out like he was this great guy. Especially hemiskir

We have a tendency to idolise warlords, even those who destroy more than they create like Alexander and Julius Caesar.

It doesn't have to be one or the other. The "wise and benevolent hero" never actually killing his enemies and always taking the moral high ground is a fairly modern notion, and one born more out of wishful thinking and naivete than anything else IMO. As is the idea that a ruthless general must by necessity be a stereotypical evil tyrant bent on iron fisted, North Korea style world domination.