Crossword Genius

Being venerated, he cried (3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

hal

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'being venerated he cried' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'he cried' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'he' could be 'al' and 'al' is found within the answer.
A single letter 'h' remains which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for hal that I've seen before include "Odyssean character" , "Harry, in short" , "Man" , "future Henry V" , "Falstaff's prince (H.IV)" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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