Vilified bear heading north (7)
I believe the answer is:
reviled
'vilified' is the definition.
('revile' can be a synonym of 'vilify')
'bear heading north' is the wordplay.
'bear' becomes 'deliver' (synonyms).
'heading north' is a reversal indicator (in a down clue, letters travel north).
'deliver' written backwards gives 'REVILED'.
(Other definitions for reviled that I've seen before include "Abusively criticised" , "Abused" , "Deliver (anag.)" , "Maligned, vilified" .)