Someone sent thugs after me just as I happened to fast travel from whiterun to windhelm. The thugs attacked me in the marketplace, and the townsfolk joined in the battle. I never raised my fists, watching the citizens kill the bandits instead. They killed the first thug, and then everything went back to normal. Except then the other 2 thugs started following me around but not attacking me.

Now they follow me around everywhere and I have 2 extra followers! They won't enter dungeons or homes, and I can't trade items with them, but they are polite ("need something?") and attack everything we come across. It's fun having a little army, this should definitely be a mod.

Has anyone else experienced this? I wonder how easy it is to replicate?

My previous character, had Eola as a follower as well as 2 dead thrall conjuration mages. So thats 4 people there, but Eola and the 2 conjuration mages summon their own atronachs, so I was fighting battles with 7 allies, throw in a dog and you have 8.