I think with "have always thought" I'd normally use "is" if the guy is still alive.
I'd use "was" if the guy was, for example, a historical figure, who has not been alive during my lifetime, or not since my childhood maybe. The idea is that I have "always" (which might not be quite literally "always" but just "for a long time") had that opinion, which has always been an opinion (expressed in the past tense, "was") about someone who is no longer alive.
I don't think we'd use "has been" as per your 3rd example, thought we might with some added words, such as "when it has suited him" (though "is"..."when it suits him" is probably more likely).
For someone who is no longer alive but was until recently, you might say "I always thought he was a good guy". You'd use the same construction if you have changed your opinion - "I always thought he was a good guy, until I saw how he treated his girlfriend".