It was Peter Vanderdonk, a descendant of a historian, who convinced the villagers to accept Rip Van Winkle's story. He said that everything Rip described about the time period he was coming from was true, and that there was no need to doubt his words. Thus, everyone believed Peter (as he was a successor of a learned man) and Rip was readmitted into his society.
The reason is because in 1st person point of view we can see the psychotic nature in which Montresor describes all he did to Fortunato. He explains in crude detail how he killed him with no remorse, he even seems to delight in the acts which he did. For example: when he describes the walls filled with a type of moss, he's already putting inside Fortunato's head that he will have to live and cope with these toxic fumes that will poison his lungs little by little, Fortunato doesn't know it yet, but, he is going to die. And, putting this images in the head is preparing Fortunato for the worse to come, he's preparing Fortunato so he loses all hope. Montresor describes everything like a sociopath would, if it were in third person point of view we wouldn't know what Montresor was personally thinking or feeling only partially.
Setting is the time and place where a scene occurs. It can help set the mood, influence the way characters behave, affect the dialog, foreshadow events, invoke an emotional response, reflect the society in which the characters live, and sometimes even plays a part in the story.
Well,
Enraged seems to be the most extreme form of angry. Irritated, bothered, and riled, I consider, are less extreme forms.