After the death of the Good King Deiron during the Great Spring Plague in 209 A.D. and the accession of Aerys I the Scribe to the throne, the Bloody Raven became the Hand of the king. Brynden turned out to be a capable Hand, and evil tongues were chattering that he was using witchcraft to seek out other people's secrets. "All positions are occupied by friends and favorites of Lord Rivers, the lords of the Small Council lick his hands, the new grand Maester is as passionate about witchcraft as he is. The garrison of the Red Castle is made up of Crow's Fangs, and without the permission of the Right Hand, no one has access to the king." - that's what people said. Thanks to his extensive network of agents, he was aware of all the conspiracies and rebellions.