Although the of Kenshin's life depicted in this OVA series was also detailed in the original manga, the TV series "Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji kenkaku roman tan" (1996) never mentions Tomoe by name, but Hiko does mention ask Kenshin about his lost love at Tomoe's gravesite in Kyoto. The only characters aside from Kenshin that also appear in the TV series are Saito, Hiko, and assumedly Shishio (the unnamed assassin).
The story of Rurouni Kenshin is a highly fictionalized tale very loosely based on real historical figures. The region 1 DVDs published by ADV include some brief notes that connect the anime characters to their historical counterparts.
Among the events in this OVA is included a fictionalized version of what became known as the Ikeda-ya affair, when in June 1864 the Shinsengumi in Kyoto raided an inn, the Ikeda-ya, being used as a hideout by pro-Imperial fighters. The alleged plot was to destroy Kyoto through fire, hopefully destabilizing the Shogunate's grip on the people. In the end, the Shinsengumi broke up the ring, killing 8, wounding another 4, and arresting 20. This made them national heroes in the eyes of the Tokugawa bakufu.