4. Balon Greyjoy
Balon Greyjoy may not have intentionally harmed any of his children, but his idiotic actions doomed them to short and miserable lives. After Robert’s Rebellion against the Mad King, Balon attempted to rebel against Robert. He declared the Greyjoys independent from the Crown. Naturally, Robert’s army came after Balon and he was defeated. His two eldest sons were slain in the battle and his youngest son, Theon, was sent as a hostage to Winterfell.
A defeat like this should be enough to dissuade a normal person from attempting rebellion again. But nope, during the War of the Five Kings, Balon again claimed his independence from the Crown and began raiding the North. When Theon and Balon finally met after nearly twenty years apart, Balon treated his son like dirt. He claimed Theon wasn’t a true Greyjoy and no longer his son. This prompted Theon to betray his childhood friend Robb and attack Winterfell. Ramsay Bolton retook Winterfell and Theon became Reek. While Balon didn’t actively harm his children, his actions led to pain and misery for all of his offspring.
