Sure, it can be normal. Just like any person might be interested in what others write about them or their alter - ego. It's a way to connect with the fan community on a different level.
Well, it could be a way for the daredevil to see how others perceive their character. Maybe they find it interesting to see the different scenarios and relationships that fans come up with in the fanfiction.
The idiom of "gossip in alleys" referred to the discussions of the people in the streets and alleys. This idiom could be used as subject, object, or attribute, and it mostly referred to public opinion. Its source was Song Zeng Minxing's "Solitary Awakening Miscellany.":"From the laws of the imperial court to the miscellaneous families in the barnyard, there is nothing that is not recorded." It was a street talk.