צריך שיאמר ארור המן ברוך מרדכי ארורה זרש ברוכה אסתר ארורים כל עובדי אלילים ברוכים כל ישראל וצריך שיאמר וגם חרבונה זכור לטוב:
One must say "cursed is Haman", "Blessed is Mordechai", "cursed is Zeresh", "Blessed is Esther", "cursed are all those who worship idols", "Blessed are all Israel". And one must say "and Ḥarvona, may he be remembered for good".
בַּיּוֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י כְּט֥וֹב לֵב־הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ בַּיָּ֑יִן אָמַ֡ר לִ֠מְהוּמָ֠ן בִּזְּתָ֨א חַרְבוֹנָ֜א בִּגְתָ֤א וַאֲבַגְתָא֙ זֵתַ֣ר וְכַרְכַּ֔ס שִׁבְעַת֙ הַסָּ֣רִיסִ֔ים הַמְשָׁ֣רְתִ֔ים אֶת־פְּנֵ֖י הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרֽוֹשׁ׃
On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Bizzeta, Ḥarvona, Bigta, and Avagta, Zetar, and Karkas, the seven chamberlains who served in the presence of Aĥashverosh the king,
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר חַ֠רְבוֹנָ֠ה אֶחָ֨ד מִן־הַסָּרִיסִ֜ים לִפְנֵ֣י הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ גַּ֣ם הִנֵּה־הָעֵ֣ץ אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֪ה הָמָ֟ן לְֽמׇרְדֳּכַ֞י אֲשֶׁ֧ר דִּבֶּר־ט֣וֹב עַל־הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ עֹמֵד֙ בְּבֵ֣ית הָמָ֔ן גָּבֹ֖הַּ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים אַמָּ֑ה וַיֹּ֥אמֶר הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ תְּלֻ֥הוּ עָלָֽיו׃
And Ḥarvona, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman has made for Mordechai, who had spoken good for the king, stands in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him on that.
אחד מן הסריסים, שהלכו לקרוא את המן אל המשתה ועי"כ ידעו מן העץ...
"One of the chamberlains": One of those who went to call Haman to the feast, and that is why he knew of the tree...
״וַיֹּאמֶר חַרְבוֹנָה וְגוֹ׳״. אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר: אַף חַרְבוֹנָה רָשָׁע — בְּאוֹתָהּ עֵצָה הָיָה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁרָאָה שֶׁלֹּא נִתְקַיְּימָה עֲצָתוֹ, מִיָּד בָּרַח. וְהַיְינוּ דִּכְתִיב: ״וְיַשְׁלֵךְ עָלָיו וְלֹא יַחְמוֹל מִיָּדוֹ בָּרוֹחַ יִבְרָח״.
“And Ḥarvona, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman has made for Mordecai, who spoke good for the king, stands in the house of Haman” (Esther 7:9). Rabbi Elazar said: Ḥarvona was also wicked and involved in that plot, as he too wanted Mordecai executed. Once he saw that his plot had not succeeded, he immediately fled and joined Mordecai’s side. And this is the meaning of that which is written: “It hurls itself at him, and does not spare; he would fain flee out of its hand” (Job 27:22), indicating that when God sends calamity upon a wicked person, his friends immediately flee from him.
כֵּיוָן שֶׁרָאָה שֶׁלֹּא נִתְקַיְּמָה עֲצָתוֹ מִיָּד בָּרַח. נראה לי נקיט לשון בריחה כפי אותיות שם 'חַרְבוֹנָה' שהוא בהפך אתוון 'ברחונה' ונראה לי דדייק שהיה באותה עיצה מדכתיב (אסתר ז, ט) 'גָּבֹהַּ חֲמִשִּׁים אַמָּה' ואיך ידע שיעורו בדקדוק? אלא ודאי היה עמהם ומדדוהו לפניו.
"Once he saw that his plot had not succeeded, he immediately fled."
It appears to me that the Talmud uses the term בריחה (fleeing) because the letters are a rearranged form of חרבונה (Ḥarvona).
It also appears to me that we see he was there when Haman planned to kill Mordechai, because he knew the tree was 50 amot tall, and how else could he have known the exact height? Clearly, he was there and it was measured in his presence.
וְהַמֶּלֶךְ קָם בַּחֲמָתוֹ מִמִּשְׁתֵּה הַיַּיִן אֶל גִּנַּת הַבִּיתָן (אסתר ז, ז), מֶה עָשָׂה מִיכָאֵל הַמַּלְאָךְ הִתְחִיל מְקַצֵּץ אֶת הַנְּטִיעוֹת לְפָנָיו, וְהוֹסִיף חֵמָה עַל חֲמָתוֹ, וְשָׁב אֶל מִשְׁתֵּה הַיַּיִן, וְהָמָן עָמַד לְבַקֵּשׁ עַל נַפְשׁוֹ, מֶה עָשָׂה מִיכָאֵל דְּחָפוֹ עַל אֶסְתֵּר, וְהָיְתָה מְצַעֶקֶת אֲדוֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ הֲרֵי הוּא כֹּבְשֵׁנִי לְפָנֶיךָ, וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ הֲגַם לִכְבּוֹשׁ אֶת הַמַּלְכָּה עִמִּי בַּבָּיִת. וְשָׁמַע הָמָן הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה וְנָפְלוּ פָנָיו. מֶה עָשָׂה אֵלִיָּהוּ זָכוּר לַטּוֹב, נִדְמָה לְחַרְבוֹנָה וְאָמַר לוֹ אֲדוֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ גַּם הִנֵּה הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הָמָן לְמָרְדֳּכַי וגו'. דְּאָמַר רַבִּי פִּנְחָס צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר חַרְבוֹנָה זָכוּר לַטּוֹב.
“The king rose in his fury from the wine banquet to the palace garden and Haman stood to plead for his life from Esther the queen, for he saw that the king has resolved to do him harm” (Esther 7:7).“The king rose in his fury from the wine banquet to the palace garden.” What did the angel Michael do? He began cutting the saplings before him, adding fury to his fury; he returned to the wine banquet and Haman stood up to plead for his life. What did Michael do? He pushed him [Haman] onto Esther, and she was crying ‘My lord, the king, here he is overpowering me before you!’ The king said: “Will he also overpower the queen with me in the house?” (Esther 7:8). Haman heard this statement and his face fell. What did Eliyahu, of blessed memory, do? He appeared as Ḥarvona and said to him [to the king]: ‘My lord the king, “indeed, here is the gibbet that Haman had made for Mordekhai…”’ (Esther 7:9). As Rabbi Pinḥas said: One must say ‘Ḥarvona, of blessed memory.’
חרבונה. יש אומרים כי אליה ז"ל נדמה למלך כדמות סריס.
There are those who say that Elijah of blessed memory appeared to the king in the image of a chamberlain.
ואני או' אחר שהיה רשע וחזר בו לכן נכתב חרבונה בה"א ולמעלה נכתב באל"ף כי אחרי שהוא עשה שינוי מעשה מן הראוי שיעשו לי שינוי השם, ואם כדברי י"א לכבודו של אליהו נשתנה שמו ונכתב בה"א כמדובר...
I say that after he was evil and then repented, that's why Ḥarvona is written with a ה, and earlier with an א, for after he changed his ways it is appropriate that he should have a change of name as well.
And according to those who believe that this is Elijah, it is in Elijah's honour that his name was changed.