[Keeper of Dol Guldur]

Glorfindel was a golden-haired elf, which I take it relates him to Gildor Inglorien, who is of the house of Finarfin, which is renowned for golden haired elves like Finrod, Galadriel, and such. He managed to knock a Balrog off a cliff ... but went down along with it, same as Gandalf and Ecthelion ...

And then, in Valinor it seems he befriended Olorin (Gandalf) very closely.

If I'm not mistaken, Gandalf pleaded with Glorfindel to return to Middle Earth and help out against the menace of Sauron.

Only elves who have seen the blessed realm, which still radiated with the light of the two trees, even though they're dead, have that ethereal glow about them ... and Frodo really saw the true spirit, when the Morgul blade had almost taken him ... he also saw the Nazgul, which indicates that the Nazgul got to the same spirit realm that elves can co-habitate along with the physical world, through some pretty perverse means. But that's a whole new topic.

He came with the Istari ... I have no idea why I think a ship with the Ithryn Luin, and possibly Saruman came first, and Gandalf and Radagast came later, but I believe Glorfindel was on the first ship (again ... I can't back that up at the moment). I can't remember how near (before or after) the Last Alliance that was ... I don't imagine if he came before, Glorfindel would have opted not to take the fight directly to Mordor.

And it was moderately important that he did ... Glorfindel was powerful enough to ride against the Nazgul, pious enough to send the Witch-King running back to Angmar, wise enough to know that the dread king of Angmar would die a special death, and had probably seen his fair share of war against Sauron before the War of the Ring began.

He clearly fought zealously in the wars with Angmar, which Rivendell must have been a key force in, and he was quite probably the most experienced, and skilled fighter in Middle Earth ... but that still didn't mean he enjoyed fighting.