Wow, yes... eaten alive by rats. I'm not sure which is worse, that or being "drawn and quartered". The latter is a phrase people hear, but don't know what it involves. (In case anyone doesn't know, this is what was done at the end of "Braveheart". It involves stretching on a rack (or by horses) first, dislocating the joints. Then, slowly drawing out the intestine after cutting the genitals off. Only when these are complete is the person actually killed, being cut into quarters to be sent east/west/north/south).
Actually another terrible one is keel-hauling on a ship. They'd throw ropes down one side and back up the other, so the rope goes all the way around underneath the ship, with the person stretched out in the middle of it. Since the underside of the ship would be covered with hard, sharp barnacles, dragging the person down one side, underwater, and back up the other, was a nasty business.
Holy crap, this just got really morbid. I need to stop now.