New domains, old reputations?

[virgohippy]

Hi all,

I've just recently picked up a few domain names, with the intentions of building/submitting freesites, and a stray thought hit me:

If some jerk_off has previously owned a domain, and messed things up with ya'll on that domain, how would I know? Would I feel the effects?

I guess I'm asking what the big players might keep track of in their blacklists: ip's? domains? whois info?