As king, a much admired figure to many (5)
I believe the answer is:
herod
'as king a much admired' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.
'figure to many' is the wordplay.
'figure' becomes 'hero' (I have seen 'Revered figure ' mean 'hero' so perhaps 'figure' could also mean 'hero').
'to many' becomes 'D' (Roman numeral for 500).
'hero'+'d'='HEROD'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for herod that I've seen before include "Biblical king of Judea" , "King of Judaea, temple builder" , "child murderer" , "Ruler of Palestine when Jesus was born" , "Massacre-of-Innocents king" .)