Tildes to escape linkage break flat files

In a new wiki site I helped set up, I created a brief set of
instructions on the how to create a page. When I first wrote
my example ("JohnDoe") it, of course, tried to create a
page.

I followed the instructions and preceded the words with a
tilde ("~JohnDoe") and all was well for the moment.

Now when I attempt to run a page history on that page, I get
the following message:

lib/WikiDB.php(In template 'browse'?)(In template 'body'?)(In
template 'html'?):787: Fatal[0]: <br />/web/virtual/
youevilbitch.com/htdocs/lib/WikiDB.php:787: : Assertion
failed <br />

This was the only page that created this error when I tried to
do a revision history.

After a few other tests, I put a tilde on a page where the
revision history was working and then it broke.

When I tried to delete the tilde I recieved a similar error
about when went to save.

After some other tests, I was able to delete the tilde, but the
revision history is still broken because of it.

This problem is easily reproduced by introducing a tilde to a
page where the revision history works.