It absolutely was in Stannis's character to sacrifice Shireen. Need I remind you what happened to Renly, and what would have happened to Edric Storm?
He was completely without mercy when it comes to his duty and destiny. That's not to say it's a selfish whim that drove him to sacrifice Shireen. He really didn't have a lot of options. But still. You just don't sacrifice your family members! It did fit perfectly with his character, however.
It has also been revealed that this is something that will happen in the books too at some point, though how and when has not been revealed.
The claim that he was killed off because he was unlikable is without merit too. He was almost everyone's favourite character before he sacrificed Shireen.
But I definitely agree with the Daenerys part. I truly hate her. I don't wish a terrible death on her, however. That's a fairly Daenerys-ish thing to do.