In the flashbacks, while Bruttenholm succeeded at killing Erszebet in Blood and Iron, he was the only member of his rescue party presumably, anyhow, to survive. So, he likely had to go back and stake one of the men to prevent him from rising as a vampire, and he came upon the remains of the others mauled by the wolves. A Pyrrhic Victory indeed.
One can only imagine how Anna's family reacted, as well as those of the policemen, when Bruttenholm had to deliver the news of their respective deaths at the hands of the vampire. To say nothing of the poor shopkeeper and her baby butchered by Erszebet earlier.
If Father Lupescu had worked up the courage to tell the Professor of Erszebet's little visit to him and warn that she knew of their rescue attempt, the deaths of the others could have been avoided. As it stood, they went in blind and it almost ended in total disaster. So, in a roundabout way, he was partly to blame for at least three deaths. Little wonder the priest seemed so broken and guilt-ridden when we saw him later on.
