The Taylor Ashby character's life story and specifics of death were inspired by the life and death of Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko. Litvinenko had been a high-level officer in the KGB and the Russian Federal Security Service, but in 2006, after whistle-blowing and claiming that the Russian government and secret service had been responsible for terrorist bombings that helped Vladimir Putin's election, Litvinenko became gravely ill. It was discovered that he had been poisoned with a rare and highly radioactive isotope of an element called polonium (210). From his deathbed, Litvinenko continued to speak out against the corruption he saw in the Russian government and even accused Putin himself of being behind the poisoning. He died from radiation poisoning on November 23, 2006.
The quote that Alan offers as epitaph in the closing is from the poem "The Death Bed" by Siegfried Sassoon, a noted English poet, writer, and soldier of the First World War. The quote Alan uses is from the last two paragraphs of the work, although he skips a few lines.
For some reason, when Dave Sinclair visits the federal prison (around 30 minutes into the episode), an American flag with only 48 stars is displayed.