'Game of Thrones' season 6 spoilers: George R.R. Martin says Brienne has a famous ancestor; star talks Meera's role

"Game of Thrones" author George R.R. Martin has revealed an interesting fact about Brienne of Tarth's (Gwendoline Christie) backstory, telling fans that she is descended from a famous character in the fictional world of Westeros.

According to Vanity Fair, the bestselling author was at Balticon, a convention in Baltimore, in which he read aloud to the audience from a new chapter of the upcoming "A Song of Ice and Fire" installment "The Winds of Winter." During his appearance, Martin announced to the crowd of fans that Brienne is, in fact, the descendant of Ser Duncan the Tall.

For those who haven't read Martin's famous "A Song of Ice and Fire" saga nor the series of novellas about Ser Duncan, "Dunk," as he is known, was one of the most famous knights in Westeros and is, in fact, one of Martin's most beloved characters.

According to IGN, Martin has previously announced that should "Game of Thrones" have a spin-off, he would like for it to tell the story of Ser Duncan and his loyal squire.

The novellas about Dunk and his squire "Egg" have been adapted into graphic novels by Marvel.

Meanwhile, "Game of Thrones" actress Ellie Kendrick recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about her character's role in the series. Kendrick plays the role of Meera Reed, one of Bran's (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) companions on his journey north of The Wall and his only remaining ally after Hodor (Kristian Nairn) was (seemingly) taken down by wights and before Benjen Stark/Coldhands (Joseph Mawle) showed up.

According to Kendrick, Meera is laser-focused on protecting Bran and helping him achieve whatever he was destined to do out in the barren cold of the north. As the actress told THR, Meera always has her late brother Jojen's (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) last words in mind.

"She's an incredibly protective person, and she knows that Bran is a person she has to look after," she said. "It's what Jojen told her before he died. She has to honor her dead brother's word over everything."

When asked whether or not Meera realizes that she had a hand in Hodor's death, having asked the gentle giant to "Hold the door," Kendrick said: "I don't think she realizes that. For Meera, in that moment, she knows her job is to protect Bran at all costs, so it's like tunnel vision."

"I don't think she really has the thought process of throwing Hodor to the dogs so that she can survive," she explained. "I think it's just a case of brute survival."

"Game of Thrones" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.