Attempted to circulate scandalous secret around Europe (5)
I believe the answer is:
tried
'attempted' is the definition.
('try' can be a synonym of 'attempt')
I don't understand the rest of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for tried that I've seen before include "Attempted" , "Endeavoured" , "Essayed" , "Sampled" , "Annoyed when obliged to accept a rule" .)