This is a picture from when he was younger. Lichen (deceased) was the previous leader of Prarie'clan. When he was young, he made reckless decisions, earning him a not-so-good reputation within his clan, especially with you-probably-know who.
When his mate (surprising considering he was a cat to make his rounds) passed, he never took another mate despite not being anywhere near old. As he got up there in age, he eventually learned to not jump head first into decisions based purely on his feelings, fixing his reputation slightly. Out of stubbornness, he also refused to stand down from his role in the clan and retire to the elder den.
The other clans mostly viewed him as a jolly old man.