House Butterwell

The Butterwells' rise as lords traces back to the reign of Maegor I Targaryen. The king wiped out House Harroway entirely and gave their lands to Alton Butterwell, rewarding a loyalty other houses had failed to show.

With that lordship came a place under the shadow of Harrenhal: the Butterwells answered to the Baelish family as their vassals, a position they would hold for generations.

Lord Butterwell rose to serve as Hand of the King under Aegon IV Targaryen, a monarch known for his appetite and for how freely he handed out favors. During a visit to Butterwell's castle, the king gave him a dragon's egg after spending the night under his roof.

By the next morning, each of Lord Butterwell's three maiden daughters was expecting a child by the king. The story was retold for years in the halls of King's Landing.

Lord Alton's grandson, Ambrose Butterwell, also inherited the office of Hand, this time under Daeron II Targaryen. When the first Blackfyre Rebellion broke out, his handling of it was so poor that rumors spread he was in league with the other side. The king replaced him with Lord Hayford.

The family hedged its bets between both sides: Lord Ambrose's eldest son fought for the king, his second son swore himself to Daemon Blackfyre. Both died at the Battle of the Redgrass Field, each on the side he had chosen.

No sword took the youngest son: the Great Spring Sickness that swept the realm in those years did.

In 211 AC, Lord Ambrose held a tournament at Whitewalls that ended up sparking the second Blackfyre Rebellion.

Brynden Rivers laid the punishment on the house. He left Lord Ambrose a tenth of his fortune and stripped him of Whitewalls, which he had torn down so it could not become a pilgrimage site for Blackfyre loyalists.

The family likely lost, along with the castle, the town that had given their first lords their name as well, though the sources aren't certain of it.