Must all revolutionaries be martyrs?

Every once in a while someone will think of a set of ideas so revolutionary that it becomes clear they deserve some kind of, essentially, kingship. Complete sovereignty to enact those principles. The existing power sees this and has the person destroyed; the people complain, and so the existing power enacts the destroyed revolutionary martyrs ideas; the powerful therefore stay powerful and the people are happy. Everyone gets what they want! Except for the revolutionary martyr who gave everything, and received nothing...

Is there another way?