Painter, David, in one carol, possibly (8,2,5)
I believe the answer is:
leonardo da vinci
'painter' is the definition.
(Leonardo da Vinci is an example)
'david in one carol possibly' is the wordplay.
'possibly' indicates an anagram.
'david'+'in'+'one'+'carol'='davidinonecarol'
'davidinonecarol' with letters rearranged gives 'LEONARDO DA VINCI'.
(Other definitions for leonardo da vinci that I've seen before include "Italian painter" , "famous Italian" , "Renowned painter" , "artist ..." , "Mona Lisa painter" .)