"The Pit and the Pendulum" author (3)
I believe the answer is:
poe
'the pit and the pendulum author' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for poe that I've seen before include "Edgar Allan . . ., American writer of horror stories" , "He wrote short stories" , "Edgar Allan ..., American writer of the macabre" , "Name of writer" , "Edgar Allan . . ., American writer of creepy stories" .)