Self-destructive character in tale rough-sounding Poles related (15)
I believe the answer is:
rumpelstiltskin
'self-destructive character in tale' is the definition.
'rough-sounding poles related' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'poles' could be 'stilts' and 'stilts' is found within the answer.
'related' could be 'kin' ('kin' can be similar in meaning to 'related') and 'kin' is present in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
(Other definitions for rumpelstiltskin that I've seen before include "Impish type" , "[FAIRY STORY REF]" , "Character from fairy tale" , "Fairytale character (Grimm)" , "Mischief-maker" .)