Inspirational figure's catty comments overheard (4)
I believe the answer is:
muse
'inspirational figure's' is the definition.
'catty comments overheard' is the wordplay.
'catty comments' becomes 'mews' (I've seen this in another clue).
'overheard' shows a homophone (sound like).
'mews' is a homophone of 'MUSE'.
(Other definitions for muse that I've seen before include "Cogitate" , "Think - goddess of the liberal arts" , "Ponder or meditate" , "Be absorbed in thought" , "Source of artistic inspiration" .)