hearsay, heresy

Hearsay or hearsay means rumor or gossip--
You can't testify to what someone else said happened--that would be hearsay.
They'll understand what you mean by hearsay if you define it as "he said she said".

Heresy or heresy means deviation from standard or orthodox teaching, most commonly used to describe religious deviance--
Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for heresy.
The European church once used the inquisition to stamp out heresy.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Hearsay was accepted as evidence in the religious courts where heresy was tried."