The Minnesota Vikings are still hotly disputed. “Rune stones” are probably faked, other evidence is apocryphal.
Makes for a good story, though, and certainly it’s possible unknown Vikings penetrated very far into North America.
“Minnesota’s Kensington Runestone: An ancient Viking secret or a fake artifact?”
https://mysteriesrunsolved.com/2021/09/kensington-runestone.html
I’ve heard of the Minnesota Runestone being fake, but I’m not sure what you mean by “other evidence is apocryphal.” The creation myths aren’t; the etymological intrusion isn’t; and while the Indians I referred to are from Ontario, the presence on the Great Lakes would make Minnesota seem inevitable.
ON THE TOPIC OF HISTORICAL DEBATE OF WHAT I’VE WRITTEN:
There’s an alternate etymology of Rus, from a longer word meaning “oarsmen.” When two etymologies seem reasonably well supported, I expect the word caught on because it “seemed correct” from both sides, that having multiple valid meanings is a force multiplier to promote the new word.