A short, usually amusing, story about some real person or event

One word substitute is Anecdote.

Anecdote: a short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.
Antidote: a medicine taken or given to counteract a particular poison.
Tale: a fictitious or true narrative or story, especially one that is imaginatively recounted.
Allegory: a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.