Who is Minerva from The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg and what is their importance?

Minerva is a girl who works with Fleabottom's traveling medicine show. Minerva has multiple tattoos all over her body. Fleabottom tells show visitors that Minerva got the tattoos when she was kidnapped in the south seas, but this does not appear to be the truth. Minerva quickly befriends Homer and acts as something like a big sister to him during his time with the traveling medicine show.