The only thing I'm aware of that is kind of similar to that is munchausens by proxy, where someone will make another person sick in order to get attention from others. Usually it's a parent doing it to a child, and it can lead to innocent deaths if not dealt with.

I know Histrionic Personality Disorder centers around needing to be the center of attention, so someone with that disorder could potentially do some of the things you describe in order to be the person everyone's talking about. But a specific illness for needing to be a hero? I can't say that I know of one, but it is an interesting topic.