As it is raised and output increases, it can also start sounding brittle or harsh depending on the pick-up and guitar.

It’s a matter of taste, by raising the bridge pickup it increases the output of that pickup, so you can always cut in the mix when you play a solo.
There is no right or wrong when it comes to pickup heights, obviously too low and you will lose volume, also too high and you can cause intonation/tuning problems, some Strat (single coil) pickups have staggered pole peices to individualy increase the output on a string.