More on Haul over the Coals from Infoplease:

• Haul over the Coals - Haul over the Coals Take to task. Jamieson thinks it refers to the ordeal by fire, a suggestion ...
• Coals - Coals To blow the coals To fan dissensions, to excite smouldering animosity into open hostility, as ...
• Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: H - Definitions, origins, and illustrative excerpts for words, phases, and literary allusions starting with "H"