The guideline is: "Otherwise please use the original title, unless it is misleading or linkbait." (It has never said to always use the exact title, though people sometimes misremember it that way. More discussion at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9898976, if anyone cares.)
So yes, please do change misleading or linkbait titles to make them not be misleading or linkbait.
When changing a title, it's better to find accurate, neutral language in the article itself than to make up something new. We usually look at subtitles, introductory sentences, or (if necessary) the body of the text. Occasionally we don't find anything suitable for a title and have to make one up, but that's rare.
Cool, thanks for the clarification!