He’s the most dangerous man in Westeros. Or he was, a hundred years before Daenerys ever touched a dragon egg. You probably know him as the Three-Eyed Raven, the weird old guy living in a tree beyond the Wall who taught Bran Stark how to fly. But the Bloodraven Game of Thrones fans meet in the show is only about ten percent of the actual story. The real Brynden Rivers was a sorcerer, a kinslayer, a Hand of the King, and quite possibly the most effective (and terrifying) spy who ever lived.
He didn't just stumble into that tree. He was sent there. Or maybe he chose it?
People always argue about whether he's a hero or a villain. Honestly, he’s both. He’s the guy who did the "wrong" things for what he thought were the right reasons. If you think Lord Varys has a big spy network, you haven't seen anything yet. Brynden Rivers had a literal thousand eyes. And one.
Who Was Brynden Rivers Before the Cave?
Brynden was a Great Bastard. That’s a specific term in George R.R. Martin’s lore for the children King Aegon IV (the Unworthy) legitimized on his deathbed. His mother was Melissa Blackwood, a favorite of the king. Because of this, Brynden grew up in the Red Keep, right in the thick of the most toxic family dynamic in the history of the Seven Kingdoms.
He was an albino. Milk-white skin, long white hair, and a single red eye. The other one was poked out by his half-brother, Aegor "Bittersteel" Rivers, during the Battle of the Redgrass Field. He had a red birthmark on his cheek that people said looked like a raven. Hence the name.
Bloodraven.
It’s a cool name, but back then, it was a name of fear. People whispered that he was a sorcerer. They weren't entirely wrong. He carried a Valyrian steel sword called Dark Sister—the same one Visenya Targaryen used and the one Daemon Targaryen (the Rogue Prince) wielded during the Dance of the Dragons. Imagine a pale, one-eyed man with a legendary dragon-sword and a bow made of weirwood. That’s who we’re dealing with.
The Blackfyre Rebellions and the "Kinslayer" Label
You can't talk about the Bloodraven Game of Thrones backstory without mentioning the Blackfyres. When King Aegon IV legitimized his bastards, he basically handed a ticking time bomb to the realm. Daemon Blackfyre, the eldest bastard, eventually rose up to claim the throne.
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Brynden stayed loyal to the Targaryens.
During the first Blackfyre Rebellion, Brynden and his personal group of archers, the Raven's Teeth, found a high point on the battlefield. They rained down arrows. Brynden personally killed Daemon Blackfyre and Daemon’s twin sons. That’s where the "Kinslayer" reputation comes from. In Westeros, killing your own family is the ultimate sin. It doesn't matter if it was a war. People hated him for it.
But he didn't care. He was focused on the long game.
He eventually became Hand of the King under Aerys I. While the King was busy reading old scrolls and ignoring the plague and the ironborn raids, Bloodraven ran the country. He turned the Seven Kingdoms into a police state.
"How many eyes does Lord Bloodraven have?" the commoners would ask.
"A thousand eyes, and one," was the answer.
Basically, he used his "greensight" or skinchanging abilities to spy on everyone. He had birds and rats and people everywhere. He was the first person to realize that the real threat wasn't just a rebel army—it was the instability of the realm itself.
The Great Council and the Sentence to the Wall
This is the part that usually shocks people who only watched the HBO show. Brynden Rivers didn't just retire to the North because he liked the cold. He was arrested.
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In 233 AC, there was a succession crisis. To solve it, Bloodraven called a Great Council. One of the Blackfyre claimants, Aenys Blackfyre, wanted to participate. Bloodraven offered him safe conduct to King’s Landing. He promised the man he wouldn't be harmed.
As soon as Aenys arrived, Bloodraven had him arrested and beheaded.
He did it to ensure the throne went to Aegon V (Egg from the Tales of Dunk and Egg). He sacrificed his personal honor to ensure a stable transition of power. It worked. But the new King, Aegon V, couldn't let such a blatant betrayal of a "safe conduct" promise go unpunished. It would have made the crown look weak.
So, Aegon gave him a choice: death or the Wall.
Brynden chose the Wall. He went North in a massive "honor guard" that included Maester Aemon. Yes, that Maester Aemon. They went to the Wall together. Within a few years, Bloodraven became the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.
Then, in 252 AC, he vanished while on a ranging. Everyone thought he was dead. In reality, he was following a call. The children of the forest were waiting.
The Transition to the Three-Eyed Raven
The Bloodraven Game of Thrones lore connects the politics of the south with the magic of the north. For decades, he sat in that weirwood throne. The roots grew through him. They went into his thigh, under his ribs, and into his empty eye socket.
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He stopped being Brynden Rivers and started being something else.
He was waiting for Bran. He was searching through time, watching the past, trying to find a way to stop the Great Other. There’s a theory—and it’s a strong one—that he even reached out to a young Euron Greyjoy, but Euron wasn't the right fit. He needed someone like Bran Stark.
Why does this matter for the ending?
In the show, the Three-Eyed Raven says, "I'm not really Brynden anymore." This is crucial. When Bran becomes the King, many fans feel it’s a "happy" ending or a "strange" one. But if you look at it through the lens of Bloodraven, it's a cold, calculated victory. Bloodraven, the man who was exiled for his "crimes" in King's Landing, finally returned to rule—not in his own body, but through the vessel he trained.
It’s the ultimate long-con.
Common Misconceptions About Bloodraven
- He’s "The Three-Eyed Crow" in the books: In the show, he’s the Raven. In the books, he’s the Crow. When Bran asks if he’s the crow, he seems confused. This leads some to believe there’s a difference, but for most, it’s just a stylistic shift.
- He’s a pure "Good Guy": He absolutely isn't. He used dark magic, execution, and deception to maintain order. He is the definition of "the ends justify the means."
- He was always old: He was a legendary warrior first. He fought in several wars and was known for his skill with a weirwood longbow.
What You Can Do With This Knowledge
If you're a fan of the show but haven't read the books, you're missing the "why" behind the "what." The story of Bloodraven explains why the Three-Eyed Raven is so detached. He has seen centuries of human failure.
To dive deeper into the Bloodraven Game of Thrones history, you should:
- Read "The Knight of the Seven Kingdoms": This collection of novellas by George R.R. Martin features Bloodraven as a background (and eventually foreground) character. You get to see him when he was at the height of his power as Hand of the King.
- Analyze the "Dark Sister" lineage: Following the path of the sword Dark Sister helps you understand which characters Bloodraven might have been tracking throughout history.
- Watch the Bran training scenes again: Now that you know he was a Targaryen bastard who was hated for kinslaying, his dialogue about "the past is already written" takes on a much more personal tone. He’s a man who lived a life of regret and duty.
He wasn't just a mentor. He was a survivor who outlasted his enemies by becoming a god.
Next Steps for Fans: Start by reading The Mystery Knight. It’s the third Dunk and Egg story. It features a disguised Bloodraven and shows exactly how his spy network functioned in real-time. It changes the way you look at every "random" character in the series.