Just from the title 'father philip tells a ghost story', it's difficult to determine precisely who he is. He might be a priest known in a certain community for his storytelling abilities. He could be associated with a particular church or religious group, and perhaps he uses ghost stories as a way to teach moral lessons or to engage with the members of his congregation.
I don't have enough information to say exactly who Philip Earl Johnson is in the story. He could be an ordinary person with an extraordinary Christmas experience.
Definitely. Norman Bates is purely fictional. He was created by authors and has appeared in books, movies, and other forms of entertainment to thrill and scare audiences.
In most cases, Norman is not based on a true story. It's more likely a creation of the writer's mind to entertain and engage the audience with an interesting fictional narrative.