Vernon is likely a character within the Psychonauts universe. In the context of the Vernon Ghost Story, he's probably the central figure who has some sort of encounter or relationship with the ghosts.
Vernon could be anyone. Maybe he's an old man in the neighborhood who loves to share spooky tales from his youth. Or perhaps he's a young person who had a strange encounter and turned it into a ghost story. Without more context, it's hard to say exactly who he is.
I'm not sure specifically what the 'Ted Cruz wife soup story' is. There might be some made - up or niche story that I'm not familiar with. It could potentially be some kind of rumor or a very specific incident within a certain community or among political gossips.
We don't have any clues from this short statement to identify Ted precisely. He might be someone from the speaker's personal life, or it could be a name used symbolically. Maybe the speaker wants us to focus more on the idea of death and the connection to pulp fiction rather than on Ted's specific identity.
If we assume it's a story about relationships, possible themes could be power dynamics within a marriage. Since the idea of 'pegging' implies a certain role - reversal or non - traditional dynamic, it could also touch on themes of equality and respect in a relationship.
I'm not sure specifically which 'wife pegs husband Ted story' you are referring to. There could be many fictional or personal anecdotes with such a title. Maybe it's a story within a particular community or among friends that is not widely known.