I was a bully

I was a bully at school and bullied one person for a couple of years. Apparently I made his life a nightmare he told a girl I was dating (they were both in the year below me.) I came home from university at Christmas last year and saw him, he’d started going to the gym, he literally picked me up and threw me in a huge pile of mud. All his friends and even random people who at first were concerned about me, but then changed their feelings when people heard why he did it, cheered and clapped as I got up covered, with my outfit totally ruined. An older lady came over to tell me that I deserved it and that it was a really good thing to see as her daughter had been bullied in school and she felt helpless. I can’t stand those people, they made me feel so stupid. I cried for days afterwards, I was so upset. Do you think he was right?
Everyone thinks I deserved it and that he’s so great as he didn’t hit me, but no one thinks about how horrid the experience was for me.