Even Science Fiction has to be humanized. You can become stuck when dealing with history when you are dealing with narrative. Written record doesn't allow wiggle-room. People in the record may die or disappear. You use fiction to bring the story together.
Facts can be boring.
They are not dynamic materials. Here's where your fiction comes in. Have to be politically correct. Make characters human - not like the 'Me Tarzan, you Jane' pidgin English. The story is its own reality as long as it is grounded in reality.