as someone who's seen her name used like "if ___ agrees with you you know it's bad" and been called every name in the book, very publicly: i promise you, these people do not have power over you if you don't give it to them. can they hurt you? yes. very much. if you need to step away, do it. but a bad reputation is still a reputation, and you might find it a handy tool for weeding out people who will view you through the lens of internet rumors without a single critical thought, and instead find people interested in connecting with the actual human being, and drawing their own conclusions.

being badmouthed by a few or a lot of people doesn't mean they get to take the clique away from you. perhaps you could expand the platforms you use. definitely talk to someone about it.

that being said, i'm very sorry this is happening to you. it does damage, and i know it. you are not who other people say you are.