Ouch. If they don't like the character, why read the story? Or is it that a lot of people don't like that character and hence aren't reading the story?

Mind you, back in the day, I would read any good story in my main fandom, and actively sought out the ones about minor characters, as they tended to have different story elements.

(I'm completely ignorant of the fandom, so please forgive if it's actually about a very popular character)