Backing up multiple user data

[Luke Davis]

If rsync is used to backup data for multiple users, on to a system whereon 
the recipient for the files, is a single user, rsync will, of course, set 
the user and group of all files, to the recipient user.

If dealing with a large number of users, it is less than ideal, to create 
all of the users on the target backup server.

Is there any way to do such backups, in the rsync method, while still 
preserving ownership data, but without creating all of the users involved? 
Some sort of meta ownership data.

If not, what might be another method of doing this?