Renowned revolutionary has an encounter in river (8)
I believe the answer is:
esteemed
'renowned' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are adjectives. Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
I can't explain the rest of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for esteemed that I've seen before include "Thought highly of, say customer" , "Venerable" , "Well-regarded" , "Dear" , "Prized" .)