Why pirates cultivated terrifying reputations

Why were pirate groups in several regions so well known for savagery?

A terrifying reputation made victims more likely to surrender without fighting, preserving both the prize and the pirate ship.

Pirate savagery was partly a deliberately cultivated operational reputation. Fear could convince a merchant crew to surrender before a fight began. Avoiding combat protected the prize from sinking and spared the pirate vessel damage that would consume money and time. Figures such as Blackbeard therefore benefited economically from making their violence look inevitable even when intimidation alone secured the result.