3. Gregor Clegane
Elia of Dorne, you raped her, you murdered her, you murdered her children The most infamous actions of Gregor Clegane, a knight in service to House Lannister, can be summarised by the above quote, uttered by Oberyn Martell when he faces the mountain who rides in single combat. Though merely a lackey, Gregors cruelty is matched by only a certain few. He is responsible for his brother Sandors hideous facial scarring, as well as the alleged murder of his father, sister and first two wives. In A Game of Thrones, he mercilessly kills the young knight Hugh in a joust, noticing his unfastened neck armour and deliberately piercing that area of the boys body with his lance. Soon after, he terrorises the Riverlands, burning harvests and castles, raping women and killing children before he takes control of Harrenhal, which he holds for much of A Clash of Kings, putting many of the settlements inhabitants to the sword in the process. In A Storm of Swords, he retakes the castle in brutal fashion after it is taken by Northmen and placed under the command of mercenary leader Vargo Hoat, killing all but three of its inhabitants before being called to Kings Landing to champion Queen Cersei when her brother Tyrion Lannister demands a trial by battle to prove his innocence. In this battle, Gregor faces Oberyn, admitting to the crime for which he went unpunished for in front of a large audience before slaying the Dornishman. He fails to come out the battle unscathed, however, dying in agony several weeks later as a result of wounds inflicted by Oberyns poisoned spear. In A Dance with Dragons, the twisted Qyburn reveals the newest member of the Kingsguard who has sworn to protect Queen Cersei, a silent eight foot knight by the name of Robert Strong. Many believe this to be a reanimated Clegane, given that Qyburn was given permission to experiment on the man, though whether his barbarism will continue remains to be seen.