The way I was "taught" to write biographies on AOL was to make it more of a short story, as you've said, rather than a biography you'd pick up in the library. For example, I'd take a mundane life situation for that particular character and in that story, describe their history as it pertains to the setting, their lifestyle, their habits, etc.
However, when I started branching out from AOL roleplay a few years back, I ran into many situations in which biographies like the ones I wrote weren't acceptable to moderators. They wanted the library book rather than the short story, which I honestly think is a much more interesting read and gives more insight into what playing with the character would feel like.
Currently, I've been wanting to use a particular face for a character, and I've really ran into some trouble trying to come up with a biography for her. I've done at least five revisions, each one much different than the one before it, and for each revision, I even wrote an alternative facts post. At some point during the writing process, I'll feel very satisfied with it, but when I sleep on it, I find that I'm not satisfied with it at all. Perhaps I'm being too picky? I really don't know. I've tried using the various sources listed here, but this is driving me nuts. I'm hoping today's English class will kick my ass for me and get me back in gear.
As for the charts and such that you use, are any of those web services available to the public? I'd like to take a look at them and see if that'll help me.