Roland I Arryn

Roland was the grandson of King Artys Arryn and grew up far from the Vale, alongside an Andal king in the Riverlands. As a young man he traveled across much of the known world, and before returning home to take up the Falcon Crown he stopped in Oldtown and in Lannisport.

Having seen the Hightower and Casterly Rock, he found his own house's seat, the Gates of the Moon, unimpressive by comparison. It was his wife, Teora Hunter, who reminded him of his grandfather's old feats against the First Men, and that memory was enough to make Roland decide to tear down the Gates of the Moon and raise something taller in their place: the foundations of what would eventually become the Eyrie.

Roland never lived to see his fortress finished. During an attack on the Vale, a band of Painted Dogs caught him by surprise, unhorsed him, and killed him with a blow that crushed his skull.

He only lived to see the first stones laid for the high stronghold he had envisioned; the rest of the Eyrie would be built without him.