The signs=houses system is a medieval (and even then, not very popular) idea and is nowhere to be found in Hellenistic astrology. I see no rationale to assign death to the 8th, but I also prefer the fourth to indicate death and the seventh as indicating old age (I mean later life, as some people do not live to an old age, but I still believe the diurnal cycle symbolism applies to them).
Take Hitler's nativity (it is not that different in tropical for this particular) for example -
https://i.imgur.com/vPbpwmX.jpg
Basically ''artist/rags'' (I - Venus retreating with Mars and square with Saturn) to ''tyrant/riches'' in late life, with power over life and death (VII - Mars in his bound and sign, with the Sun, Venus and Mercury, trined by Jupiter), with a depression (in a metaphorical sense) and suicide at the end (Saturn opposing the IV).
With the middle period, he has some popularity, but also reversals involving even prison. The Moon is well placed, but inoperative and Saturn is in the X (whole sign tropical astrologers may disagree here by insisting that the middle period is around 1933, but in that case I find the IV and VII not as relatable in tropical, at least concerning this particular technique).
https://i.imgur.com/05zs0lt.jpg
The pope has the Sun, Mercury and Jupiter in the seventh place, all well placed.
I still find the length of life and time lords more important, but there is some merit to this technique. You want to examine the angles and their rulers anyways.
This does not appear to be a Time Lord technique to me, as it does not give you any specific years.
''What about Valens 2nd house description? To me, 2nd house was always about the natives money, finance, wealth, poverty and possession.
Why does Valens describe it as "Gates of Haddes"?''
It is obvious. It is the gate of the underworld, as the I is the Rising Sign at the horizon. However, I heavily disagree with Valens' delineations of II, VIII, III and IX places. You can read a discussion on my problem here -
http://skyscript.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9952&start=15 . It is very likely that some early author changed the angularity scheme of Nechepso and Petosiris and you get some contradictions in the anthology. The problem of unconfigured succedents and configured declines is also present in Dorotheus. Both authors seem to employ one scheme with one technique and a different scheme with a second technique, evidently because the originators of Triplicity Rulers technique followed Nechepso's scheme, but people like Hermes and Asclepius followed a different rationale in deriving place significations.