"[Brahe] attended the universities of Copenhagen and Leipzig, and then
traveled through the German region, studying further at the universities of
Wittenberg, Rostock, and Basel. During this period his interest in alchemy
and astronomy was aroused, and he bought several astronomical instruments.
In a duel with another student, in Wittenberg in 1566, Tycho lost part of
his nose. For the rest of his life he wore a metal insert (see http://es.rice.edu/ES/humsoc/Galileo/Images/Port/brahe2.gif) over the
missing part".
Brahe, who hired Johannes Kepler after he was kicked out of Graz (in
Austria) because he refused to convert to Roman Catholicism, was apparently
a big party-goer. According to some sources, Tycho Brahe's bladder burst
after his carriage tipped over following a wild party and he died an
excruciating death months later. However Jan Pallon claims otherwise in
"Did Mercury Poisoning Cause the Death of Tycho Brahe?: Nuclear Microprobe
Analysis (PIXE) in Lund was Used to Look for Hg in Hair Strands"
(http://www.fysik.lu.se/~pixejan/tycho.htm). Brahe was known to be
involved in working with elements like Hg and As trying to make gold. Of
course he also had his share of enemies.