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Intelligent people do not have to be smart. Thus common sense and "book learning" are often seen as different things. Being clever is not being intelligent. If I can slip out of a situation before I get my virtual butt kicked, I was clever. If I can create a swift comeback when insulted, I was clever. If I figure out that player X and player Y are dating in-game without being told, then I was clever.
But, why is it an issue of having to live up to intelligence in the first place? That would be like having a character name Monty and claiming he was the funniest man in the game. Of course, when in an RP session, old Monty is rather bland. Thus his PR guy is better than his RP guy. Claiming intelligence is not the same as having. This is why I am opposed to player-viewable, player-written bios, because then you have "the bravest hero", "the funniest bard", "the craftiest mage", and "the best looking troll in the land". This goes back to the first rule of story-telling, "Don't say the lady screams, bring her out and let me hear her" or simply "show don't tell."
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