Answer: C) Too severe to be pardoned.
Explanation: The connotation of a word is the meaning given by the context or even by the readers (or listeners) based on their emotions or personal experiences. In the given excerpt the word "infamous" is used to describe a denunciation that made an innocent man go to prison, so we can see that the option that best represents the connotation of the word, is the corresponding to option C: too severe to be pardoned.