It's all about reading the eyes. A fairly obnoxious thing to say would be something like,"You're thinking of someone well known right? Maybe someone like a President? Wait, don't tell me yet.....", and all you have to do is watch their eyes, surprise will show if you got it right, so you know it's Washington. The question after this could be," Have you ever actually seen your character, maybe on the telly, or a picture of him.....", and this will give you Edgar Allan Poe, because I don't think many people would have seen him. Just to be sure, if they answer yes, ask if their character died a long time ago.... In the 70s.... If they answer yes, it's Elvis, or else, it's Edgar Alan Poe or Hawking. Directly say it's Poe.T If it hits, it's strong. If it's Hawking, you have a minor miracle. Get a paper and write ,"XX will choose Stephen Hawking.", and the reveal will be strong. Say it's Poe for sure. Be adamant. If they really have Hawking, they'll protest. Ask them who they're thinking of. When they say Hawking, act out disbelief, pull the paper out of your shoe, under your watch, however you want. This concept of multiple outs is your best bet in mentalism. Over time, you should be able to design a phishing patter on your own.