Some people will let you know what is expected of you by what they say and the key is Believe them. I have learned when someone says “oh and did I tell you this person is an X” they are telling you they are assuming you are supposed to see this other person in a negative way too. Sometimes the person may not even realize they are interacting with someone who has been nice to them but happens to be this X. This is even worse when doing online engaging. It’s showing no thought or respect of who may be reading or engaging that may be an X of some kind.