Ethan Hunt, Jason Bourne, and James Bond all bring back memories of the movies that gave us a taste of life in espionage. The best spies are those you haven"t heard of. Their lives might not be as full of leisure and martinis as you might think.

1. Ravinder Kaushik, The "Black Tiger" Ravinder Kaushik, who was originally a theatre artist, was recruited by RAW India"s Research and Analysis Wing. In 1974, Kaushik was able to infiltrate into the Pakistani Army. He rose to the rank Major and provided valuable information to RAW. He was awarded the Black Tiger name in 1979 for his efforts. Kaushik provided intelligence for the Indian government for 26 years. His cover was exposed and he was sentenced in 1983 to death. His sentence was reduced to life imprisonment by the Indian government, but that only made things worse. Between 1999 and 2001, he was tortured to death.