Jacob Conover saved the life of crime lord, Don Fortunato from a hit put out on his lfe by Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin. Don Fortunato promised Conover he'd retun the favor if he ever needed it and fled for his life. This caused Conover to stay away from crime articles for the Daily Bugle. Among his most famous journalistic work is "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man".

Upon hitting financial troubles, Conover decided to collect his favor from Fortunato, who in turn set him up as the the third criminal to call himself the Rose. His career ended when Spider-Man captured him following a confrontation with the Black Tarantula.

Conover, in his Rose identity, was also responsible for the re-charging of Electro's power in exchange for the electrically charged villain to take down the Black Tarantula, who had been moving in on Conover's criminal territory. This never came to pass, since Electro was defeated by Spider-Man before he could put an end to the Black Tarantula.