Much of these men's endeavors were derived from a personal drive of creating public notoriety of self importance and stature as being god's selectively chosen one(s) or channel to all mankind.
The Faithful and Obedient slave/servant as it were, a higher stature of righteousness than other practicing Christians as they proclaimed.
For example Russell was called by his followers the Laodicean Messenger .
Today's GB men of the JWS claim they are the FDSL or modren day disciples as described in the bible but in reality they are modren day false prophet apostates enacted through their own commercialized charlatanism.