I really don't know what happened but this was pretty funny. I just started a new character, going for a sneaky type. I decided as soon as I got to Riverwood to try my hand at stealing, so I pickpocketed some old lady. I had a 50% chance and failed... But for whatever reason the lady stands up and yells "I've had enough! Leave me alone!" and runs away to cower. I thought I'd have guards coming after me in no time. I got a small bounty on me and everything. But that's the funny thing... all of a sudden, townsfolk started attacking the old lady!! They chased her around the inn until they finally killed her lol.

Pics:
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/594704696020025933/BC3B1E53CBEF56FCCB946DE8FFE04AB639962FB1/
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/594704696020028039/BA18D5416C41A82DD8161B09C7D940DCDC9028E3/
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/594704696020026691/EF6E08016AE8012C1E99795C0A88D677F67C02F4/
http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197993843468/screenshot/594704696020027304?tab=all

I realize most people couldn't care less, but I have to do a follow up. Also, while the pictures are interesting, you should try to imagine my surprise and the hilarity of this old women I just failed to rob getting chased around by several NPCs calling out for her blood (literally) while she screamed she wanted no more.

So, after doing the quest at the ruins for the shopkeeper, I went back to town. As soon as I left the shop, there were 3 bounty hunters outside waiting for me!

Since I'm playing on Master difficulty, I literally had no options. I did briefly attempt to fight, but their steel armour bounced my puny swords and arrows right off. I ran around and tried to get out of combat and hidden. I thought maybe some sneak attacks could work, but no.

After trying to fight them a couple times, it was no use... I died. Reloaded. Ran around a bit and ended up next to the elf archer - luckily I just did his little love quest so I was able to ask him to be my companion. In this playthrough, I'm not going to use a companion, but I kind of had no choice right now because I wanted to find out who wanted me dead.

We managed to kill 2 of the bounty hunters and I found the note... Hilde, the dead granny, wanted me dead. How she managed to get her revenge from beyond the grave is a mystery, but her success was complete. I stabbed her corpse in contempt, of course, but otherwise I had to flee to Whiterun.

It turned out to be an interesting session, to say the least.

Yeah those bounty hunters are hard as hell at low level. Fortunately they don't attack you on sight but rather talk first, so they wait to get close to you. If you run they just follow you until you stop long enough for them to talk.

If they have already killed you once you can expect them and avoid them.

Once they approached me on the steps to high hrothgar, and I actually used them to my advantage. I lured them all the way up the mountain, then sprinted past the frost troll and they basically killed each other, I had just one wounded bounty hunter left to deal with.