So I finally came across a Stan Lee piece that explained what he really did and why he has stuck in popular consciousness: Stan Lee 1922-2018 andrewrilstone.com

I've never really read superhero comics - they weren't that culturally relevant here and libraries didn't really stock them and buying single issues wasn't something I was ever in a habit as a kid. I was more into the movies. But I was kind of at loss what the deal behind Stan Lee was besides him being a Marvel mascot and being the idea guy behind Spiderman. But here's a decent piece that lays it out from someone who is a fan of the relevant work yet can admit that other creators created more than half of the work: Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby, most significantly.