- "Burn them all!"
- ―Aerys II's last words.
King Aerys II Targaryen (formal: King Aerys of the House Targaryen, Second of His Name), known pre-coronation as Aerys Targaryen, and more infamously known as the Mad King, was the head of House Targaryen and the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. He started as a king with promise when he ascend the throne, and brought prosperity and peace to the realm. However, a series of stillbirths and miscarriages from his wife, including the deaths of three sons, caused him to slowly go insane. A brief uprising, where he was held prisoner for half a year, caused him to become extremely paranoid, viewing everyone as enemies: this sort of mentality eventually culminated in Robert's Rebellion, instigated when he murdered Rickard and Brandon Stark. Aerys II hatched a wildfire plot to blow up the entire city with wildfire if he lost, but he was killed by his own Kingsguard before he could.