Outdated tales varied (5)
I believe the answer is:
stale
'outdated' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'tales varied' is the wordplay.
'varied' is an anagram indicator.
'tales' anagrammed gives 'STALE'.
(Other definitions for stale that I've seen before include "Mouldy or hackneyed" , "Unfresh" , "Old; musty" , "past the sell-by date" , "Least (anag.)" .)