Doctorow's not notorious, he's just famous (in certain circles.) Emphasis mine: notorious - adj - famous or well known, typically for some bad quality or deed

Doctorow's not notorious, he's just famous (in certain circles.) Emphasis mine: notorious - adj - famous or well known, typically for some bad quality or deed. I would call that definition prescriptive and not descriptive. In practice, people use the term mostly for someone who's famous or well-known because of some bad quality or deed, and sometimes for someone who's famous or well-known and who additionally has some bad quality or has done a bad deed.