Who Is the Mad King Aerys on Game of Thrones?

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As we delve deeper into the sixth season of Game of Thrones, the big reveals about the secrets that lie in the history of Westeros are coming fast and furious - especially when it comes to Bran Stark and his visions of the past. In the moments leading up to his reunion with his uncle Benjen, Bran has a flashback to the "Mad King," Aerys Targaryen. In this moment, Aerys calls out "Burn them all!" We see wildfire, and we see the silhouette of Jaime Lannister plunging his sword into the Mad King's back. We already know how Aerys died, so this flashback showing up at such a pivotal point in the story may have some deeper significance. To understand how, let's start with looking at what we know about the Mad King himself.

• He was the father of Daenerys Targaryen, along with her brothers Viserys and Rhaegar.
• His Hand of the King was Tywin Lannister, who many say was the tail that wagged the dog.
• He was infatuated with Tywin's wife, Joanna, which caused a rift between Aerys and Tywin.
• He denied Tywin's request for Cersei to marry Rhaegar, instead choosing Elia Martell of Dorne. He then appointed Jaime Lannister to the Kingsguard, robbing Tywin of an heir, as being in the Kingsguard means no family. This led to Tywin's resignation as Hand of the King.
• His son Rhaegar Targaryen kidnapped Lyanna Stark or ran away with her. Either way, this action led to Ned Stark's brother and father being killed by Aerys and Robert Baratheon seeking vengeance and then the Iron Throne.
• In his later years, Aerys became increasingly infatuated with wildfire (that incredibly dangerous explosive green substance).
• As Tywin's army rode in to take back King's Landing, Aerys gave the order to "burn them all." It seemed he wanted to burn all of King's Landing with wildfire. Jaime plunged his sword into the Mad King's back to save them all.

The prevalent theory now, based on Bran's flashback to Aerys, wildfire, and the White Walkers, is that somehow Bran will do to Aerys what he did to Hodor - a warging time travel that changes the course of history, possibly by driving Aerys mad himself.

Alternatively, it may simply be more revelations that the Three-Eyed Raven thought would be important to Bran's education. Perhaps Bran just needs to learn the truth of what happened, or maybe Bran will come to rely on Jaime at some point in this war and having seen what really happened gives him reason to trust the so-called "Kingslayer."

Either way, these mysterious backstories, in this viewer's opinion, are what make this show so entertaining. As they unfold and reveal the answers to the plethora of theories out there, it's only going to get better.