I guess bad luck what happened to you and your fellow applicants. I think everybody who applied is well aware of the stories that have been told by others who have applied or have worked there, but also stories of people who work there currently.
I don't really live by an ostrich method, I'd rather just try and see what happens. If you go in with too many expectations, then there is high chance of being disappointed. what happened to you, is disappointing at the least, but that was 11 years ago. Maybe things have changed, maybe they haven't. But if someone wants to go to an assessment, i'd rather get a motivational boost with some sense of reality instead of just negativity.