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It's actually a fairly common nickname for him among a certain subset of writers/thinkers who considered his philosophy fascinating.
I do think he falls under a similar category as Machiavelli, where the surface level of his writings reflect a morality that is disgusting, while the philosophy that underlies it is somewhat more interesting.
Machiavelli's writings are amoral, but not self-induldgent porn. Concerned with useful knowledge of how things are, what works, and concerned with the public good (secure, well ran states).
De Sade, from what I gather was a somewhat psychopathic sadomasochist hedonist who couldn't stay on the right side of law despite being an aristocrat and having unlimited funds to bribe people with , and whose pornographic novels were rendered worse by included elaborate rationalisations explaining how morality is meaningless so he can really do whatever he wants.
I really don't understand why Napoleon didn't have him hanged for the sodomy and rape charges that resulted in de Sade having to run away to Italy. Maybe he thought prison was more cruel, that's up for debate.
Supposedly, he showed some value by satirising the cretins of the enlightenment, chiefly Rousseau, but that doesn't redeem him one bit in my eyes.
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What about De Sade may anybody find fascinating? He's not a good writer and his books are calcavades of whatever indecent actions he can think of. You'd have a similar product if you'd asked a rambunctious teenager to write "the naughtiest story ever."
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