^Yes. If we're talking about NPD I'd say yes because it's literally in their nature to be manipulative. But if we're talking about the generalized term then I'd say not always. From what I've witnessed, a lot of what contributes to their inflated ego is just their own view of themselves and how they rationalize reactions from the outside world. Just speculating though.
Yeah anyone with NPD is manipulative because they have to evoke the response that earns them praise and adulation, they are typically extremely well-groomed or well-dressed people who are sometimes good looking, but sometimes just think they're better looking than they are because of the amount of effort they put into it. Even this is a form of manipulation. This form of manipulation is shared by histrionics, usually.
But unlike the person with BPD (I'm going to kill myself or throw your cat off the balcony if you leave me) the narcissist manipulates in a more subtle and ugly way, in my experience. They create a dynamic where they can feed off a kind of "yes man" sort of friend or buddy or relative, until the "yes man" gets wise to how much energy they're expending on the NPD's ego.
People with NPD also tend to climb either socially or financially (or both) because they only feel validated by externals, so that is also requiring a form of manipulation to pull that off.
People who are narcissistic in the colloquial sense may just be stupid and cocky, usually young, or they may appear to need attention ...and actually be histrionic or some kind of drama queen. People may call any attention seeking behavior narcissistic, or any kind of seemingly inflated level of confidence, but a true narcissist is so divorced from his or her TRUE feelings (actually being a deeply insecure individual) that they cannot form real empathy for others, making even their love relationship some kind of warped mirror, and if they realize that the love interest or partner is not the person in the mirror, they will punish them or reject them, they can't love you unless you're an extension of them or do what they want.