Taking credit for something thats not your work, and being remembered? Or having the credit taken from you, or doing something terrible, causing people to forget you. (Or want to forget you, anyway.) Think about it.
I'd rather have credit taken away from me. I mean, if what I did was a worthwhile contribution to mankind, it wouldn't matter that I did it, as long as it has the same beneficial effect.
I don't think I could forgive myself if I took credit for someone else's work. The guilt/shame would haunt me for the remainder of my days. I would rather be the only person to know that I did something good.