This will be the first out of probably two paleontologists discussed. Let me announce that this guy did not deserve in the least bit the horrible life he got. It all started in 1822 when he (or his wife, depending on the source) found a tooth embedded in rock. It would later go to be known as the first Iguanodon tooth. He became obsessed with hunting fossils, eventually boasting the largest collection in England. However, this caused him to put aside his actual medical job, and when he couldn't pay his bills, he made his house a free museum anyone could visit. This distracted him from both fields of work, and he was forced to sell most of his fossils. His wife left soon after, taking the kids as well. But it was only beginning.
You know Richard Owen as the guy that coined the term "dinosaur". You might not know that he was a great big jerk, and he HATED Mantell. Before that, Mantell fell victim to an accident where he was dragged across the ground by panicked horses, leaving him crippled and with a horribly disfigured spine. Owen, being a member of a higher geological society, took advantage of this, using his power to reject the papers Mantell STILL continued to publish, and later even taking his spine through surgery. No matter how hard he tried, there was nothing he could do for recognition, and Mantell committed suicide in 1852.
If I continue this series, know that no paleontologist may have ever had it worse than Gideon Mantell. Can we hit an F in the chat