Is it simply the "success" of Alexander's domination that gets him remembered as "The Great" rather than "The Terrible"?

There is a joke/quote that goes something like: If you try to conquer the world and fail you're forever a villain. Forever hated. Hitler and Napoleon for example. But if you set out to conquer the (known) world and succeed suddenly you get remembered as "The Great".

This is alluding to Alexander obviously, and the often repeated claim that he "conquered the known world". Does this illusion of success(Alexander definitely did not "conquer the entire known world", right?) play a role in how fondly Alexander is remembered despite the blood his campaign(s) spilled?

If not then how DO we explain why he is not labeled the same way as some of these other villains of history? If it's not about him succeeding and them failing then what is it about? Is it simply a matter of the time period he was a part of? These more modern glory seekers being seen by their more modern times as being "uncivilized" where as Alexander did something that was more common for his time and thus not seen as as evil by history?