Game of Thrones, Little Finger

"Chaos isn’t a pit. Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail, and never get to try again. The fall breaks them. And some are given a chance to climb, but refuse. They cling to the realm, or love, or the gods... illusions. Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is. " ―Petyr Baelish to Varys

Lord Petyr Baelish, popularly called Littlefinger, was the Master of Coin on the Small Council. He is a skilled manipulator and uses his ownership of brothels in King's Landing to both accrue intelligence on political rivals and acquire vast wealth. Baelish's spy network is eclipsed only by that of Varys. After marrying Lady Lysa Tully, widow of Lord Jon Arryn of the Vale, and her subsequent death at his hand, he becomes the Lord Protector of the Vale. Because of his relationship with Robin's mother, Baelish is able to heavily influence the young Lord Robin Arryn, the new Lord Paramount of the Vale. More