Downsides:
It can be difficult to get optimal humidity and warmth for these guys if you're not experienced with it.
It requires a LOT of patience....remember how we all felt the first time our critters went on feed strike? For such a lazy animal, mine sure have stressed me out something awful.
They are succeptible to mites and infections that most other animals are not, and are also MUCH more expensive to treat.
Vets specializing in herps are few and far between, and are generally much more expensive than non-exotics vets.
Their cages must be cleaned on the regular, because their fecal matter can contain germs that can harm humans. It is possible to pass zoonotic diseases between the snake and humans, in particular salmonella, if the cage is not properly cleaned.
They are a naturally feared animal and you may have trouble getting an apartment or travelling with it for that reason, something you don't come up against with a cat or a dog.
You for the most part can't go away on a weekend and leave the animal be; even with a timer on your heat source, you should always have someone there who knows the sign of illness and to check the heat/humidity gauges. No exceptions.

In my opinion, while BPs and other herps are amazing animals, they are NOT by any means for everyone, and they're not a perfect pet for the vast majority of people.

In your myth #1, you might do well to add that the size of a human is far too large for even an overgrown female to eat as prey, and that the only reason a BP will strike at a human is because a) fear or b) the human was being dumb and handling prey items before putting them in the tank. It just doesn't make sense for a BP to strike and try to kill an animal that's so much larger than it, and isn't feasable as a prey item, unless it's absolutely life-or-death and the BP has nowhere to run (err....slither). Not likely to happen in a pet setting.
Good luck on your paper!