Water Stain on Ceiling From Roof Leak

I had a water stain on my bathroom ceiling from a roof leak. The leak has since been fixed, but I mistakenly tried to paint over the water stain with regular paint, didn't realize the stain will still show through. After a quick google search, I realized I should have put on a stain blocking primer first before painting. After my initial paint started cracking, I tried to peel it off, but made it worse.

Can I still use the stain blocking primer on my current ceiling (picture attached), and then paint over it? Or are there other steps I need to take now since I have made it worse in order to paint over it? Thank you in advance for any advice.

 

Welcome to the forums!

I'd scrape/sand as needed and then skim some joint compound over the affected area, sand when dry, apply a solvent based primer [latex primers do a poor job of sealing water stains] and then paint.