There won't be any need to replace the brakes, since you'll be buying new levers either way, you can get drop-bar brake levers that are compatible with conventional cantilever brakes or with V-brakes depending on what your bike has. Either way, Dia-Compe make some good ones that won't break the bank.

As for shift levers, you'll almost certainly want Shimano ones, since they seem to be the only ones commonly available. If you get the 8-speed ones, they should index with a 7-speed or 8-speed Shimano cassette with a Shimano MTB derailleur, unless Shimano has messed with its indexing standards again...