Do They Actually Believe What They Say to You or Are They Consciously Aware that It's All BS?

Question for all you wise ones:

In regards to the projecting/gaslighting/reversals, do they actually believe what they are saying to you, or do they know that it's all lies?

Mine would always say how untrustworthy I was, and the ultimate D&D was centered around me "twisting the truth around" and how I "couldn't respect his boundaries" as part of my personality (when literally the opposite could not be more true). Anybody with a heard on their shoulders could look at the situation and realize how bizarre and ridiculous these claims could be. Can they?

I guess the gist of my question is, how conscious are they of their own manipulatory actions?

Thanks in advance,
~TITE