King Ashurbanipal

Seeing the ruthless and unpredictable Joffrey Baratheon meet a justifiable, violent end was one of the series' more rewarding scenes. But if we had only known the brutality our next antagonist would bring, we might have happily put up with Joffrey.

Ramsay Bolton applied the procedure on a whim, taking the symbol of his family—the flayed man—very literally. His sadistic delight in the suffering was nauseating, made worse by the knowledge that his portrayal is based on a real person.

In addition to their military strength, the Assyrians were dreaded for their insatiable desire for torture. Assyrian King Ashurbanipal was no different, using torture as a tool for psychological conflict. In addition to being crucified and impaled, Ashurbanipal also relished showing off his flying prowess in public. The poor victim had their skin slowly peeled away, starting at the buttocks, thighs, or lower legs. Not only that, but King Ashurbanipal had a nasty habit of hanging the peeled skin around the city walls as a grisly warning to those who disobeyed.