Daevryn posted elsewhere that the problem with certain evil douche bag / asshole type characters is that it's often very, very difficult to both pull off and detect the difference between genuine evil douche bag RP and unsportsmanlike, asshole player. That's actually got nothing to do with this case, but...

The same goes for negative titles. Having a negative-sounding title because you're doing a bang up job of role-playing an evil, seedy, lying asshole of a bastard is way cool. The problem is that since 95% of the negative titles that are set are for things like awful RP, constant full looting, cherry-picking PKs, etc., most player tend to assume that a negative title is attached to the player, not the character.

I guess it really comes down to the character in question and the motive behind setting the title in the first place. For example:

"Disgrace of Battle" - I wouldn't be bothered by this title at all if I got it, because it seems totally IC.

"Loves Loot More than Good" - This would embarrass me as a player.

"Serial Vulture of Fallen Heroes" - Ditto.

"Corpse Stripping Scavenger" - Also gay.

FWIW, "Loathed by Many" wouldn't bother me at all.