intentionally stinky?

White gas was basically untreated gasoline with no additives.

Kerosene is closer to diesel, but not quite. I think it's in between the two so you get more energy out of a gallon of kerosene than white gas. I'd assume based on that, that white gas was cheaper, probably by quite a bit.

I've never heard anything being added to gasoline, or diesel to make them smell, they smell plenty all on their own. Heating fuel oil has dye added for tax purposes.

Propane and natural gas have a smell added for safety reasons as they have no smell on their own.

From my observation people use white gasoline Coleman stoves in preference to kerosene stoves because they are easier to light. Kerosene stoves require pre-heating with alcohol.

Kerosene, diesel, fuel oil, other oil products naturally have an odor but do not need an odor for safety. They will not fill an area with a vapor that is flammable or explosive at certain concentrations. In face most forms won't even burn unless you pre-heat them or give them some sort of a wick or atomization.

Gas for lighting and cooking used to be town gas/manufactured gas which was mostly carbon monoxide which was made by heating coal or other fuel in the absence of oxygen. It was odorless and had no odorant added. Since carbon monoxide is poisonous as well as various mixtures with air being flammable or explosive, a leak was very dangerous. This is where the head in the oven trope comes from. Natural gas and LPG is not poisonous so the odorant is to allow it to be detected to prevent exposions.

Kinda… but back when Coleman fuel and "white gas" was a thing, you really couldn't buy unleaded gas in any other form. It was pretty special stuff.