Draconian Italian leader adored manipulating this artist (8,2,5)
I believe the answer is:
leonardo da vinci
This clue could be a double definition.
'draconian italian' is the first definition.
'leonardo da vinci' can be an answer for 'italian' (I have seen 'famous Italian' mean 'leonardo da vinci' so perhaps 'italian' could also mean 'leonardo da vinci'). I'm not certain of the 'draconian' bit.
'leader adored manipulating this artist' is the second definition.
'leonardo da vinci' can be an answer for 'artist' (Leonardo da Vinci is an example). I am not certain of the rest of the definition.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for leonardo da vinci that I've seen before include "Renowned painter" , "artist ..." , "Mona Lisa painter" , "Italian painter" , "He painted" .)