These three adverbs are the closest equivalents to what is known, in French, as « le conditionnel journalistique » which is widely used both in the press and all over the modern media. This French verbal mode expresses a certain idea of doubt, ambiguity, or uncertainty.
Example: « Ma voisine, qui est un peu timbrée, aurait vu une soucoupe volante atterrir dans son jardin ». Here, the speaker doubts the veracity or truth of what s/he is saying. His/her doubts bear on the reliability of the source of information (here, a loony lady who probably hallucinated it all!).
This very particular form of conditional is never translated as would in English, so you must be very careful with the tense and mode that you use. The indicative mode is generally preferred. In most cases, to express this idea of doubtfulness, and in order to detach themselves from the information being given, English speakers tend to use one of the following adverbs, technically known as intra-sentential commenting devices – allegedly, supposedly/reputedly, and reportedly. Through them, the speaker indicates that s/he detaches himself/herself from the assumption, and warns that the source of information might not be quite reliable.