To change the image of a person from frightening/evil into a cuddly/cute/family-appropriate equivalent, keeping much of the form but none of the substance. Derived from the title character in the Terry Pratchett book, "Hogfather", who starts out as a symbol of barbaric executions and ends up as an equivalent to Santa Claus

(noun) A successful type of theft which results in an acceptable, impressive and rewarding payday for the protagonist.