George R.R. Martin has often stated that no matter how much horror he invents, actual history frequently contains events that are just as bad, if not worse. 1. The Black Dinner (1440)
| Real History | Red Wedding | | :--- | :--- | | No "wedding" pretext (just a dinner or lodging) | A literal wedding (Edmure Tully & Roslin Frey) | | Small-scale assassinations | Mass slaughter of an entire army | | Political rivalries within one kingdom (Scotland) | Cross-kingdom war (Stark vs. Lannister) | | No pregnant bride killed | Talisa (Jeyne in books) stabbed in the belly |
: The Douglas brothers were dragged outside, given a mock trial, and beheaded in the castle courtyard. 2. The Massacre of Glencoe (1692)