I’ve seen people talk about actors and artists that had a terrible time.
My own would be Anne Rice. She wrote Interview with the Vampire after her young daughter died of Leukemia. Then her husband suddenly died of a brain hemorrhage. I suspect her Christian, anti-fanfic phase was a result of mental illness and manipulation from the publishers, although I don’t think she ever apologized.
Herman Melville. I know he’s loved by everyone but his life was pretty sad. He had a whole crush on this dude and it went no where, and his book barely sold any copies when it came out.