That may be the reality, but I don't believe that was the narrative then, or common knowledge now. Certainly I wasn't aware of that, although I'm also not too particularly invested in it so don't follow things that closely.
It certainly was the narrative then. I was in college at the time and there were weeks where Linda Tripp was mentioned more than Monica.
I got the direct impression from the news that Monica Lewinsky was this pretty young thing, very innocent, who had a tryst with the POTUS and was freaking out. Linda Tripp came along and under a false veneer of sophistication and helpfulness, instructed Monica on what to do, move-by-move.
The story was of an ingenue who was, in turn, under the thrall of the POTUS and then Linda Tripp.
