Would they even count as mountains if they didn't occasionally try to kill you?
Probably not, no. It's part of their intrigue, I think. Princeton actually has a plaque near the top in memory of someone who it decided to smite with lightning.
We'll keep the bad weather over here on our side. You're welcome.
Or maybe it's their form of self defense against idiots. The mountains where I grew up are quite a bit shorter and less overtly hostile but they still manage to get themselves a tourist or two every year. A ranger at RMNP was telling me how they used to keep a running tally at the trailhead for Longs Peak of how many people had died on the mountain. Said they eventually stopped because it got too morbid.
Well, it's not just idiots they take. They kill plenty of highly experienced climbers too. All you have to do is make one mistake, or simply happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
True, sometimes it just ain't your day. I've been in Red River Gorge too much lately, it's mostly intoxicated foolishness there.