The reactionary I'd heard about (3-4)
I believe the answer is:
die-hard
'the reactionary' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'i'd heard about' is the wordplay.
'about' is an anagram indicator.
'id'+'heard'='idheard'
'idheard' with letters rearranged gives 'DIE-HARD'.
(Other definitions for die-hard that I've seen before include "One strongly opposed to change" , "Strong opponent of change" , "Person who resists change" , "Person who insists on holding traditional views" , "Resolute" .)