The Men of the hour also apears when you loose a general in a battle, but you still win the battle (I suposse that the idea is that there is a man who takes the control of the situation in a bad moment, and becomes the hero).

When I played, the three times a general was killed in a victorious battle, a man of the hour appears (and generally with two o three stars...).

This could be a way to replace old generals or bad ones. Just attack with a good moral army a group of rebels, send the general to a suicid attack, and the win the batle. Actually, I didn't try it, but I think it could work.