They are based on real people. Those two are Silver Tree kickstarter backers who had their likenesses added to fallen london as a reward. One of them is a friend of mine. If you are disturbed by the art, it could be the added touch of realism that comes from working off an actual person's image. If the story disturbed you it's probably because it's about third city lore. The third city is disturbing in general especially with its Mr Eaten ties.