Vanessaedit this page
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference
Vanessa was a character in the novel The Hotel Royale, portrayed as a down on her luck casino gambler who had hooked up with a gambler named Texas.
A physical representation of Vanessa, along with the setting and other characters of the novel, was created by unknown aliens for a Human astronaut named Colonel Stephen Richey on Theta 116 VIII in 2044 when his ship crashed there. (TNG: "The Royale")
Vanessa was played by actress Jill Jacobson.