ghost from one's past

Meanings:

• 1.

  generalliteralneutral
  • A literal ghost or apparition connected to events or people from an earlier period in a person's life.

• 2.

  generalidiomaticfigurativeneutral
  • An unpleasant person, event, or memory from the past that continues to haunt, disturb, or unsettle someone in the present.