Do NPCs that were created from real characters count? I had a chaotic evil Dwarf named Dimloin. He was a high level fighter I retired. I used him in a game that was just for fun when I was still relatively new in the Army. It was just adventures with no real goal.
Dim rose in levels and he owned a bar/inn where the PCs would meet. He was their patron and would send them on missions. This was back using AD&D and Unearthed Arcana. Anyway, the missions actually came from Dim's patron… Demogorgon.
Yeah, strange game where the players could do whatever since they were all evil to some degree. And Dim, he was the antithesis of a Dwarf, yet he was a Dwarf. We had a lot of fun when we'd take a break from our normal campaign and visit Dim's place for a mission.