Aside from White Walkers, wights, and other deadly enemies, the characters in Game of Thrones also had to steer clear of the fatal disease known as Greyscale. The dreaded condition is a slow and maddening death sentence from which none in Westeros are immune. Before it was revealed that King Viserys I Targaryen suffered from an extreme form of leprosy, audiences naturally pointed to Greyscale to explain the early symptoms Viserys' disease in House of the Dragon — a testament to how the horrible effects of Greyscale are still burned into the minds of Game of Thrones viewers. Greyscale, also referred to as "Prince Garin's curse," is a contagious disease that first attacks the skin. The victim's skin cracks and flakes until the flesh underneath it appears like gray stone or reptilian scales as the tissue hardens and dies. In time, the Greyscale would spread from head to toe before affecting vital organs and the brain, eventually turning the victim mad. The deterioration was known to take years before victims succumbed to the infectious disease.

Greyscale is considered a fate worse than death in Westeros, and rightly so. Several characters contracted Greyscale, including Game of Thrones' Shireen Baratheon, Jorah Mormont, Archmaester Pylos, Karl Whitehill, and two of Gilly's sisters. Even though it was rare, getting Greyscale was quite easy since it only took coming into contact with an infected person or object. Those who were in the late stages of Greyscale were exiled to cities in ruin such as Old Valyria in Essos. This shunned group was known as the "Stone Men." When Jorah was ambushed by Stone Men in Game of Thrones season 5, he became infected, but, thankfully, he was one of the few to be cured. Despite the high mortality rate, Jorah Mormont wasn't the only key character to recover from Greyscale in Game of Thrones. Here's Game of Thrones Greyscale disease explained, as well as who survived it (and which House of the Dragon character has Greyscale).

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Two Characters Were Cured Of Greyscale In Game Of Thrones

Aside from Jorah, young Shireen was the only other character to be cured of the skin disease. The daughter of Game of Thrones villain Stannis Baratheon became infected when she was an infant. Stannis bought her a doll in Dorne which, unbeknownst to stannis, was contaminated with Greyscale. Rather than send Shireen to live with the Stone Men, he brought in every maester and healer he could find to help cure the disease. Their efforts worked - but the girl was left with a scaly scar on her face up until her tragic death at the hands of a spiritual sacrifice.

As for Jorah, Daenerys Targaryen forced him to relieve his duties in her army so that he could find a cure before it was too late. In Game of Thrones season 7, Jorah met Samwell Tarly at The Citadel, and the two accessed the secrets of Oldtown's maesters, as Sam snuck into the restricted section of the library to research a cure for Jorah's Greyscale. The procedure to remove the infected areas was risky, often proving fatal or not being completely effective. Sam went ahead with the treatment, cutting off Jorah's infected layer of skin with a scalpel. A medicinal ointment was then spread on the exposed skin tissue. Jorah didn't suffer from blood loss or shock as was the case with many patients, instead managing to make a recovery so that he could reunite with Dany and fight at the Battle of Winterfell.

A House Of The Dragon Character Also Has Greyscale

The Crabfeeder looking off-screen in House of the Dragon

In the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, though the Greyscale disease isn't what killed King Viserys I Targaryen, a character with Greyscale has appeared. The Crabfeeder suffered from Greyscale before Daemon "cured" him using Valyrian steel. Although it wasn't discussed in the show itself, Crabfeeder's Greyscale in House of the Dragon was confirmed both in HBO Max's The House That Dragons Built docuseries and by the actor who played Crabfeeder himself, Daniel Scott-Smith. In an interview, Scott-Smith said that it was indeed Greyscale on the Crabfeeder's left arm, that it was meant to establish a visual connection to the original series as well distinguishing the onscreen adaptation of Craghas Crabfeeder from the book. As Daniel Scott-Smith told Entertainment Weekly:

It's nice when you have details, as well, but it's also nice when it's a completely open book. That gave us the freedom to do what we wanted with the character, which, on a creative level, was incredible for me and I think for the directors, as well, because we could play with it and build our own version of Crabfeeder.

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Although House of the Dragon viewers first thought that it was Viserys who had Greyscale, the king's latter state eventually clarified that he suffered from an entirely different flesh-eating disease, and that Crabfeeder was the only prequel character who had "Prince Garin's curse." In addition to his Greyscale, Crabfeeder's mask was another visual cue from Game of Thrones, as Scott-Smith also confirmed that it was the same mask used by the Sons of the Harpy from Slaver's Bay/Bay of the Dragons. Notably, Craghas Crabfeeder didn't wear a mask nor did he have Greyscale in the book Fire & Blood. However, in House of the Dragon, both Crabfeeder's Greyscale and mask serve not just as Easter Eggs for astute viewers, but also as hints regarding the character's unseen backstory and how his actions might have influenced the future of Essos. Curiously, Crabfeeder also sported scars similar to Jorah Mormont in Game of Thrones when he was beginning to heal from Greyscale. It's possible Crabfeeder might've been cured in time if Daemon didn't use the Valyrian steel sword Dark Sister to slice his body in half.

Next: The Biggest Changes To The Book In House Of The Dragon Season 1