The death of Rao Ying-chi closes a chapter on the KMT insiders who steered Taiwan's shift to democracy, and on the party feuds that ended his own career.

• Rao led the KMT's largest legislative faction and served as the party's chief whip under Lee Teng-hui.
• His group backed Lee's biggest reforms: ending the anti-communist emergency rules and bringing in direct elections for governors, mayors, and the presidency.
• He rose to deputy speaker in 1999 after Lee sidelined the pro-Soong camp by stripping power from the provincial government.
• Payback came in 2001: after the KMT lost seats, James Soong's party pushed him out of the job in a deal to unite the opposition, which Rao never forgave.
• Earlier in his career he worked for an independent Taipei mayor and knew the dissidents who later founded the opposition.

Outlook: His death is a reminder of how personal grudges inside the KMT still shape Taiwan's politics.