biography, thorough and easily observed

[Klpno]

Hi everyone.
I'd like to ask a question about the meaning of the phrase "biography, thorough and easily observed." Does it mean that his biography was rich and people could easily get access to it in the public records?
Endless speculations were woven about the man's past. He had a name, and everybody knew it. He had a biography, thorough and easily observed in the public records. But there were at least a dozen alternate versions of his past and left-behind troubles.

[Yankee]

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I would say that it means that his past troubles were documented in a very complete and accurate fashion in the official public records, and these records were also easily accessible to the public.

But apparently there were also quite a few other versions about the details of his past which had been gossiped and speculated about and/or published in books, newspapers, magazines, etc. Apparently the details of these other versions differed significantly from the details in the official public records. In other words, the other versions were probably not terribly accurate or complete.

That's my take.
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[Klpno]

Thank you very much, Amy.