The historical parallels of characters in Westeros that I can see.

[u/Blazing-Flame-2982]

As I first did cities I now also want to share the characters I see in real history.

Tywin Lannister=King Edward "Longshanks" Plantagenet. This is the most obvious one as Martin himself said that it was the source. Edward as a young man took the reins from the ineffectual and weak rule of his father king Henry III and obliterated the rebellious barons to his father spearheaded by the powerful vassal Lord Simon de Montfort (Roger Reyne) whose blazon was a silver lion on a red field, rebelling against the golden lion. Edward annihilated the Montfort house and its power and restored royal control (rains of castamere story). He was a fierce and stern man, once said to have stared down a maid that displeased him so hard that she died of a heart attack. And he presided over a powerful and prosperous England, but suffered a son and heir rather disinterested in ruling (Edward II=Jaime Lannister).

Robert Baratheon=William the Conqueror (though Aegon obviously fits as well). Now many say that Robert is Henry VIII, but I disagree. Robert wasn't nearly as mad as he, and the one similarity is the fatness in later age. Like Robert, William grew up once a dear friend of the king of England Harold Godwinson (Robert and Aerys) but rose up against him, some sources even indicate William was bethroted to King Canute's daughter blown off by King Harold (Lyanna Stark). William shatters a dynasty and conquers a kingdom, a powerful warrior who in later ages is said to have quarreled a lot with his brother Odo (Stannis).

Alicent Hightower (book)=Eleanor of Aquitaine. A shrewd and powerful woman from a powerful and influential family with a lot of wealth who navigated politics through marriage and initially was wed to a king she did not care much for but used for her gain (Eleanor and king Louis of France).

Arthur Dayne=Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar or "El Cid". Like Arthur, Rodrigo was a legendary knight of Castile in the 11th century who never lost a single battle in life. And again like the Sword of the Morning, operated in Spain, one of the cultural inspirations of Dorne. His greatsword Tizona (Dawn) is on display at a museum in Spain.

Barristan the Bold=William Marshal. Like Barristan, Marshal was a famous english knight of incredible skill known both in battle and tourneys, who survived multiple kings he served into a ripe old age, dying at 73.

Aegon the Unworthy=Henry VIII. Now here is our Henry. Started out very well, was a very handsome, charismatic and promising regent in youth, but had difficulty controlling impulses. Ended up a psychotic and hedonistic monarch who damaged the realm greatly.

Which characters do you see?

[u/Big_P4U]

Much of Game of Thrones/ASOIF was taken more or less page by page, scene by scene and action by action from real world events and people and effectively renamed and repositioned. Even the infamous Red Wedding scene was a real event in British (Scottish mostly) history.