Brynden Rivers

Certainly, he would have been familiar with the rumors that were floating around the Red Keep, and Aegor would have had to weigh their words against what other sources said.

Certainly, it was an open secret that Brynden Rivers had been named Hand of the King, in part because King Aerys and he shared a common interest in the arcane and the occult.

This was a weakness as well, something to exploit, that Bloodraven was not very popular, and he was whispered to be ruled from Eros, so you can sort of tie these two things in together, and Bittersteel could use this information to craft a reputation for Bloodraven that would cause people to react with fear and distrust as opposed

to respect.

Jamie Lannister recalls, before he was in the Kingsguard, begging the Blackfish for tales of the Ebon Prince and Maelys the Monstrous.

We don't know if Sir Brynden obliged, but if he did, they were probably grisly tales, because this wasn't a glorious war.

Septon Meribald gives a heartbreakingly memorable speech in A Feast for Crows about war, this war, and how so many are fooled into believing it is an adventure, only to discover that it's closer to a nightmare you can't forget, but only if you survive.

Septon Meribald spoke from experience as a veteran of the War of the Ninepenny Kings.