Game Of Thrones: 8 Changes To The Books That Were Completely Justified

3. No Aegon

We're introduced to Young Griff in A Dance With Dragons and, in a late-in-the-day twist, it's revealed he's actually Aegon Targaryen, son of Rhaegar, and the would-be heir to the Iron Throne if not for the fact everyone thinks he died during the Sack of King's Landing.

To boot, his 'father' Griff is Jon Connington, former Hand of the King and one of Rhaegar's closest companions, with the pair conspiring to go to Westeros and take the Iron Throne. It's a big shocker, but coming in the fifth book with all the other characters moving towards the end game, he feels more like a distraction than a genuine contender.

Benioff and Weiss at least sensed this, and were perhaps even told as much by Martin himself, because they cut the storyline completely. Jorah gets greyscale instead of Connington, Jon Snow's real name is Aegon, the Golden Company is hired by Cersei, and Tyrion meets Daenerys and they set off to Westeros together.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether he's the real deal or, as expected, a pretender, but it would've been an unnecessary addition to the show and, since there wasn't much attention paid to Rhaegar's children, a twist that might not have carried as much impact. We've spent years getting to know the other characters, and it's better to spend the final seasons with them rather than this diversion.