The Story of the Book of Esther

In preparation for Purim, I would be happy to hear the Rabbi's opinion on the story of the Book of Esther. Did the story really happen, and if so, was it written and worded? From a search I conducted, it appears that there are no external sources that confirm the story of the scroll, and there are scholars who are trying to claim that perhaps there was some small internal political struggle that was "inflated" and turned into the story of the scroll by the writers of the scroll. I would be happy to hear from you on the matter.