Learned person positioned to accept leading figures (6)
I believe the answer is:
savant
'learned person' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'positioned to accept leading figures' is the wordplay.
'positioned' becomes 'sat' (sitting is a kind of positioning).
'to accept' indicates putting letters inside.
'leading figures' becomes 'van' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'sat' going around 'van' is 'SAVANT'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for savant that I've seen before include "Wise man" , "A learned person, from French" , "Clever type" , "Wise fellow" , "Melchior?" .)