Translation of bedrängen

He also told me that he had build his scooter by himself. I could not understand how a doctor was able to build such a machine on his own. It seems that the circumstances made people capable of many things.
Entire communities are blamed for a crime committed by one of its members. Wrong ideas could quickly be spread to other villages and there could be acts of revenge resulting in further mistrust.
We shared a cabin with an elderly couple from Spain. They started blablaing about Spain, about their corrupt government and about their civil war. They should not work in PR, advertisement or sales.