It was mainly unnamed ex-pupils who were quoted, and I always suspected that they were mostly fictional and the comments were made up by the tabloid hacks. There was a certain similarity of style about it all. I noticed that named individuals who were quoted spoke quite highly of Mr Jefferies.
For me the difference is that WC was charged with murder, so the media looked into his background, whereas the tabloids used supposedly salacious information about Jefferies to try to imply he was guilty.
The Tabs often try to use lifestyle/personality to try to imply people are sex offenders - we are not long past the era when being gay meant you might be a pedo according to the tabs.
However I think this guy being called "rapist" and women being uncomfortable around him is directly relevant to what he ended up doing.
When I started my first professional job, the women in my year group were warned who not to get in a lift with. I think this kind of information is worth digging up - these things don't come from nowhere.