I'd suggest using a system similar to how Dwarf Fortress addresses dead adventurers.
In that game, dead adventurers are recorded and occasionally mentioned by NPCs.
The creature that killed the PC is also recorded and incorporated in the next playthrough of the game. The dead adventurer's faction will place a bounty on the creature that killed the PC, which would equate to a mission to kill the NPC that killed the previous character.
The battle usually isn't as hard as the one that killed the previous adventurer, as the murder NPC is seperated from all lancemates.
I'd suggest the mission is offered when the player reaches the renown of the previous PC, and should give salvage and relatively high pay.
For unaffiliated PC's, I'd use the dead player's hometown, with the mission given by one of the Spinner politicians. Thebes would probably have a bounty hunter give the mission or the bartender give the mission.
Because it's fun the see previous adventurers, and many more PCs die than finish the game, perhaps those PCs that only barely missed their revive role could have simply been scared off from the career of the Cavilier, and gone back to their previous job. For extra fun, they should keep the same equipment, and certain types of characters should be recruitable for certain character types. But, I think my first proposed solution above might make more sense for those players who died so bad that they're most likely smeared on the mech of their killers, or who died in places where they had no hope of being found and rescued.
