Robert Baratheon

Last episode: "You Win or You Die"
Cause of death: Mauled by a wild boar

Gaping boar-wound aside, Robert's death hardly ranks anywhere near the series' grossest -- but he warrants mentioning because his exit set the entire series in motion. He was the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Westeros.

Viserys Targaryen

Last episode: "A Golden Crown"
Cause of death: Doused in molten gold

Viserys Targaryen, one of the slimiest characters in Game of Thrones' lengthy roster of creeps, will be forever remembered for the series' first truly epic death. After an entitled rant about his rights to the crown, Khal Drogo dumped a vat of boiling gold over his head. It probably wasn't what Viserys had in mind.

Ned Stark

Last episode: "Baelor"
Cause of death: Beheaded by King Joffrey

A surprisingly clean slice, poor Ned Stark's decapitation was made infinitely more disgusting by Joffrey's classy decision to slap the head on a pike and use it as a home accent.

Khal Drogo

Last episode: "Fire and Blood"
Cause of death: A combo of infection, blood magic gone awry and smothering

Things went downhill fast for poor Khal Drogo. After a cut to his shoulder became infected, a magical ceremony to revive the Dothraki king ended up turning him into a vegetable. And in what would prove to be the first of many Game of Thrones euthanizations, the Khaleesi put him out of his misery.

Mirri Maz Duur

Last episode: "Fire and Blood"
Cause of death: Burned alive on Khal Drogo's funeral pyre

Do not mess with the Khaleesi. In what ended up being the first of many, many bad-ass moves, the newly widowed Daenerys Targaryen punished the deceitful wise woman who rendered her husband catatonic and killed her unborn son by tying her to Drogo's funeral pyre. But were it not for that reluctant sacrifice, we might never have gotten dragons. Thanks, Mirri!

Tortured Prisoner

Last episode: "Garden of Bones"
Cause of death: A bucket of rats to the stomach

He may not have had a back story, but he'll never be forgotten. This nameless chump was one of the last victims of "The Tickler," the sadistic Harrenhal torturer who strapped metal buckets of rats to prisoners and heated said buckets until the rats burrowed free... into said prisoners' torsos.

Renly Baratheon

Last episode: "The Ghost of Harrenhal"
Cause of death: Skewered by a shadow assassin

A villain that goes by many names -- ghost baby, smoke monster, shadow assassin, to name a few -- this guy crawled out of Melisandre's womb to eliminate Stannis Baratheon's brother -- and one of the many threats to his throne.

Irri

Last episode: "The Old Gods and the New"
Cause of death: Strangled by a sex tutor

The Khaleesi's right-hand gal was strangled in the great dragon-napping of season two, but all of the details of her fate do not reveal themselves in the episode. A deleted scene shows that it was actually Doreah, the prostitute-turned-handmaid, who did the deed -- which makes us feel a lot better about her being locked in that vault to die.

Maester Luwin

Last episode: "Valar Morghulis"
Cause of death: A spear to the stomach

Perhaps the saddest loss during the fall of Winterfell, Maester Luwin's death robbed the Starks of their last remaining father figure. After suffering for an unknown amount of time with a spear through his stomach, he enlisted Osha to be his Dr. Kevorkian.

Craster

Last episode: "And Now His Watch is Ended"
Cause of death: Dagger-pounded in the throat

Though Craster probably deserved worse for all of the incest, baby-killing and lackluster hosting, that dagger through the throat and into the roof of the mouth still looked pretty rough -- and in his own living room, no less!

Jeor Mormont

Last episode: "And Now His Watch is Ended"
Cause of death: Stabbed in the back

The Night's Watch sure went to pot quickly. Mormont's own men turned on him after spending too much time north of the Wall, leading Rast to literally stab him in the back. Chaos ensued.

Kraznys mo Nakloz

Last episode: "And Now His Watch is Ended"
Cause of death: Torched by an angry dragon

Another guy who really, really had it coming, misogynist slave-trader Kraznys mo Nakloz proved himself to be quite dim when he walked into the Khaleesi's "Sure, I'll sell you a dragon" trap. It was the first time viewers got to see a dragon take anybody out solo -- and the last time we'll ever assume anybody doesn't know High Valyrian.

Ros

Last episode: "The Climb"
Cause of death: Used as a live target by King Joffrey

Off-screen deaths are among the saddest because they often deny closure, but nobody was really begging to watch our sociopathic Little Lord Fauntleroy play target practice with King's Landing's most-endearing prostitute. Ros may have been a creation of the series, but we loved her just the same.

White Walker

Last episode: "Second Sons"
Cause of death: Explodes after being stabbed with a magic knife

The significance of this kill won't likely reveal itself for some time, but apparently there are magic knives that turn White Walkers into very easily smash-able ice. Discovering an Achilles' heel is what we in the snow-zombie business call "a gamechanger."

Orell

Last episode: "The Rains of Castamere"
Cause of death: Stabbed by Jon Snow

Orell, we hardly knew you. And just as you were stabbed by a justifiably disgruntled Jon Snow, you showed off your best asset: magically channeling bald eagles.

Talisa Maegyr

Last episode: "The Rains of Castamere"
Cause of death: Repeatedly stabbed in the womb

In hindsight, poor Talisa probably shouldn't have named her unborn baby after Ned Stark. Her foreshadowing announcement somewhat lessened the shock when she was stabbed seven times in the womb -- but only slightly. Those still upset over the double-murder-infanticide can take some comfort that she's still alive in the books.

Robb Stark

Last episode: "The Rains of Castamere"
Cause of death: Repeatedly skewered with arrows and stabbed

A countless number of bad decisions led to Robb Stark's death at the hands of betrayer Roose Bolton, but he will forever be commended for his ability to remain standing while his torso was filled with a dozen arrows.

Catelyn Stark

Last episode: "The Rains of Castamere"
Cause of death: Throat slit

Poor, beleaguered Catelyn Stark. After losing her husband, being kept apart from her children and finding her father's dead body, she spent the better part of the last season as her son's prisoner. Sad as her fate might have been, she did get to take out one of the many homely women of the Twins before her own throat was slit. At least she went out like a boss.

Grey Wind

Last episode: "The Rains of Castamere"
Cause of death: Skewered by a half-dozen arrows

Yes, they even killed the dog. Grey Wind, one of the dwindling number of direwolves assisting the dwindling number of Starks, was perhaps the saddest casualty of the Red Wedding. And he was against the whole Talisa marriage thing from the start.

Joffrey

Last episode: "The Lion and the Rose"
Cause of death: Poisoned

Perhaps one of the show's most reviled characters, at his wedding feast King Joffrey met his maker when he drank a goblet of poisoned wine, given to him by Tyrion, to wash down some pie. Talk about a universally-celebrated death.