Mermaid is one of those roses well known to be able to swallow a large two story house. At Antique Rose Emporium in Brenham TX there's one growing as a tree with a trunk more than five inches in diameter. It's also about 30 ft wide and 35 ft tall.
Lots of factors affect how a rose settles into a new location. I've found that I have to water roses pretty much every day until they are established. It sounds like the one that was "growing like a weed" got pretty well established. Not sure what would kill an established rose quickly during winter other than a quick chill. Freeze-Thaw cycling. Or some sort of animal eating all its roots over winter.
