Here's Exactly Who Knows About Jon Snow's Secret on Game of Thrones — and Why It Matters

Bran knows, well, pretty much everything, and his visions of the past, including a key scene in the Tower of Joy, point him to the truth about Jon Snow's parents. Later, after learning about Sam's research, Bran goes and sees the wedding of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, confirming what they believe to be true.

In season seven, episode five, Gilly stumbles across information about Rhaegar Targaryen's secret marriage to Lyanna Stark while she and Sam are reading at the Citadel, and although she isn't aware of the words' implications, Sam later connects the dots. He speaks with Bran about it during the season seven finale, and when Bran confirms that Jon Snow's real parents are Rhaegar and Lyanna, Sam mentions the couple's marriage, prompting Bran to visit the wedding.

We don't know where Sams's story will take him after he's left Winterfell in episode four, but he is one of the true MVPs of the series, and in a popular theory among fans, Game of Thrones is actually Sam's retelling of the story years later. So we're pretty sure he won't be dying any time soon.

Thanks to Sam, Jon finally — finally! — knows who his parents are. Although he expresses some initial disbelief as his best friend shares the news during the season eight premiere, Jon eventually understands it to be true. Perhaps because he has literally no problem hopping on a dragon and flying like a pro?

At this point, he's survived the battle of Winterfell and revealed the truth of his parentage to not only Daenerys, but also Sansa and Arya. Jon has been pretty adamant that he doesn't want the throne, but as we've seen before, that doesn't mean people won't press him to claim it. Will Jon live to see another crown on his head? Or will he finally get to be at peace somewhere far from the politics of the South, up North where he longs to return?

The look on Daenerys's face when Jon Snow reveals the truth to her is just . . . yikes. She responds rather, ahem, angrily, finding it pretty convenient that the pair who confirm Jon Snow's lineage are two of the people closest to him. She immediately understands the implications — as in, that he'd be the true heir instead of her — but they don't really have time to talk about it much thanks to the White Walkers' arrival.

At this point, Daenerys's fate isn't looking too promising, but it'll be interesting to see how the truth about Jon Snow's identity might influence her actions during the Last War.

Yes, Gilly's the one who finds that key bit of information about Rhaegar and Lyanna's wedding, but has Sam filled her in on what it means for Jon Snow? Unclear. Still, it's worth acknowledging that she might be part of the crew who know about Jon Snow's parents.

Jon finally reveals his secret parentage to his sisters cousins in "The Last of the Starks," but it's not without it's drama. The Stark sisters pull Jon away to press him about his loyalty to Daenerys, blatantly telling him that they do not trust the Targaryen Queen. Fed up with keeping the truth from his family, he has Bran tell them his secret. Even though she swears not to tell anyone, Sansa is later seen sharing the information with Tyrion, posing the question of whether or not there's someone better to sit on the Iron Throne. It's safe to say the Lady of Winterfell isn't interested in Daenerys's promises to save the people of Westeros from further cruelty under her rule.

Arya learns the truth about Jon along with her older sister. We don't get to see her reaction to the news, but it's fair to assume she was pretty shocked. The next time we see Arya, she's leaving Winterfell on horseback and joining the Hound on the journey to King's Landing. We're not sure what the young Stark is up to, but she says she has some unfinished business. Could it have to do with the recent revelation, or is Arya just looking to cross another big name off her list?

Though we were unsure if Bran clued Tyrion into Jon's parentage during their fireside chat in episode two, the Hand to the Dragon Queen definitely knows after episode four, "The Last of the Starks." After Jon has Bran tell Sansa and Arya the truth about his parents, the eldest Stark sister shares the information with Tyrion during a conversation about his loyalty to Daenerys. He then tells Varys and it pits the two against one another as the Spider notes how their queen has been acting a bit . . . rash lately. The knowledge that Jon has a greater claim, and seems like a better choice considering the circumstances, puts Tyrion in the awkward place of having to consider whether he's backing the wrong dragon in this race.

The former Master of Whispers hears the details from Tyrion and, as he tells his friend, "This is no longer a secret. it's information." Said information seems to add fuel to the fire already stirring within Varys and he expresses his concerns that Daenerys is slowly becoming the very tyrant she's been fighting against this whole time. Considering the Dragon Queen brushed aside his protests to her plan to burn down King's Landing, his reasoning is sound. He already told Daenerys that he would tell her when she was taking a turn for a worst, and she's shown that she has no interest in hearing anything of the sort. Now that he has news of another claim to the throne — a better and more well-liked claim — he might be changing his alliances more swiftly than the Mother of Dragons expected.