Bleach: Aizen, the Espada, & Aspects of Death

The Espada's aspects of death are more like their "aspects of Aizen". In Aizen his loneliness (Starrk) was strong, only occasionally surpassed by his emptiness (Ulquiorra) and his rage (Yammy). These outweigh even the unbearable terror of death by decay and aging itself (Barragan).

Aizen allowed his madness (Szayel) and despair (Nnoitra) to dispose of his lamentation (Nel), and this eventually gave way to sacrifice (Harribel). Zommari alludes to an element of intoxication, and Aaroniero symbolizes the vain products of his gluttony; hence these are the weakest Espada next to a subdued Yammy, referencing his subdued rage. Aizen subdues his rage because, like Yammy, rage alone is impotent when its power is thrown around without reason or focus.

I suspect Aizen once knew a tremendous loss, and he drowned his lamentations in intoxication --- whether we're talking booze or opium or the intoxication of his own power, Aizen used this as a crutch to move forward from his grief. He turned his pain into a blade and honed it, vowing the take the world. Sacrificing the love he felt that inspired that pain. It simultaneously made him weaker and stronger, and was one of several actions Aizen took to discard his humanity and transcend with the will of the Hougyouku.

You can even see some of these AoD elements play out in Aizen's final moments against Ichigo in FKT. Ichigo speaks of Aizen's loneliness, and yet even that facade gave way to Aizen's pure seething ANGER; he shows his true self with Urahara and Ichigo, no one else ever gets to see this side of him, except for perhaps the singular moment in which Aizen screams in pain as Ichimaru uses Kamishini no Yari.

Aizen doesn't get a backstory like other characters. His backstory is a collage of other people's stories, put together like a tapestry to symbolize his own. Hence, the Espada and their Aspects of Death.

It was when Aizen made the final sacrifice (sacrificing Harribel herself) of his humanity, that he discarded his own death and the aspects of it. When he shed his Espada he shed his past and all the defining characteristics of it.

Edit: I didn't write about Grimmjow (destruction) but I am sure people can allude to all sorts of things about Aizen's personality, since he had Grimmjow subdued and humiliated, but ultimately placed him on a path to grow and evolve... Aizen would take full credit for Grimmjow befriending Ichigo, Urahara, Harribel and Nel, knowing him.