I’m not sure why anyone (except possibly the heirs of folks with most of their assets in a paid-up house) thinks turning one’s house into an annuity one can live in is “sleazy”.
As with all financial instruments, one has to make sure that a reverse mortgage is expected to perform as desired and understand what risks are involved and be willing to assume them.
But that would require people to take responsibility for their actions! What kind of monster are you?