Canon books, especially Dark Disciple, feature a relentless, hateful, tortuous Dooku. I always saw Grievous portrayed much more as a pawn in the larger picture. An angry, pouty, controllable child that Dooku manipulated exactly to his liking.
Dooku’s “compassion” is a guise. He’s evil, thirsts for power, and knows he must lie, cheat, and kill to get it.