and this is were homebrew (or atleast a world the players don't know) works better... if I run 2 FR campaigns for 10 people that know nothing of the setting, and just don't bring the archmages or chosen or whatever in for the first 12 levels, they don't know they exsist...
on the other hand in 3e when I tried to run it and didn't read all the stats and had the red wizard threat be something that the PCs should handle, for them to ask if they could get an audiance with the queen (that I quickly looked up her name but not stats) and had her thank them and ask them to handle it they would be rewarded... it destroyed there immersion, I didn't realize they were going to a 30th level sorcerer that hated the red wizard, I though they were going to a queen