That Hodor story came from George RR Martin himself - still doesn't make it any easier

It turns out Hodor's story, which aired in the latest episode of Game of Thrones, was handed down to show-runners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss by George RR Martin himself.

But the fact that it was always meant to be doesn't make it any easier to deal with - in a behind the scenes clip Weiss says, "It was just one of the saddest and most affecting things".

"Even sitting in a hotel room having someone tell you this was going to happen in the abstract in some way and that 'hold the door' was the origin of the name Hodor, we just thought that was a really, really heart-breaking idea."

And now Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran) and Kristian Nairn (Hodor) have spoken about how it effected them.

First, Wright took to Twitter to say that like many fans, he too blames Bran for what happened to Hodor.

In a video interview for the show, Wright elaborated, saying Hodor's death was "mortifying" and "so sad".

"He's one of the only characters on Game of Thrones who genuinely doesn't have an agenda of any kind, I mean at all. He's just Hodor," says Wright.

"So to have him then killed is just the ultimate twisting of the knife...because Hodor was just a totally normal kid who was then sort of screwed over by Bran."

Kristian Nairn says he wasn't ready for Hodor to go, but he can't picture him going out any other way.

"I love Hodor; I love him to death...I like that he sacrificed himself for his friends. It feels very true to Hodor for me," he said.

In a separate interview for HBO, he added: "I can't think of a better way to go, really. He doesn't give up. He never lets go of that door. For all costs, he's going to stop them from getting to Bran."

In that same interview, they asked Nairn if Hodor would've resented Bran for what happened to him, but he says it's something Hodor is incapable of.

He says Hodor would more likely just be sad, "because he's not going to see his friends again".

And perhaps most heartbreaking of all, was Nairn's response when asked what Hodor would've said to Bran in those final moments if he could speak properly: "Take care of yourself little guy. Be safe."