Everyone has that relative in their family — you know, the one who tends to drink a little too much and is prone to espousing conspiracy theories at every reunion. Even “House of the Dragon” has its very own version of this in the form of Ulf, played by Tom Bennett. First introduced in episode 3, this shady figure is known for boasting to be a bastard grandson of King Jaehaerys Targaryen, the “Conciliator” glimpsed back in the prologue sequence of the first episode of “House of the Dragon,” and the son of Baelon the Brave, who himself was the bastard brother of Daemon (Matt Smith) and the late King Viserys (Paddy Considine). Of course, it’s easy to imagine countless nobodies in the slums of King’s Landing making similar claims on a daily basis … but the series writers are clearly focusing on this one in particular for a good reason.

This puts his life in danger, he claims: “A Dragonseed must watch his own neck when he has no white-cloaked guardsmen to do it for him,” as he whispers to his friends over drinks. Granted, a skeptical companion points out that he doesn’t look very much like his half-brothers Daemon or Viserys and noticeably sports grey hair rather than the famous, flowing locks of Targaryen silver. But if there’s one thing that both “Game of Thrones” and “House of the Dragon” have taught us, it’s that ancestry is a very tricky thing, wielding the power to shake the royal Houses to their very foundations. The coincidental arrival of Aegon himself to this humble establishment seemed to confirm the truth of Ulf’s words, but for now we have no other proof to go on.

He’d easily be the franchise’s strangest dragon rider yet, but desperate times and all…