It is, rather, a process of reconstructing what may have happened based on the details the brain chose to store and was able to recall.  Recall is triggered by a retrieval cue, an environmental stimulus that prompts the brain to retrieve the memory.  Evidence shows that the better the retrieval cue, the higher the chance of recalling the memory.  It is important to note that the retrieval cue can also make a person reconstruct a memory improperly.