Location from A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
The largest castle in Westeros — a colossal ruin half-melted by Aegon's dragons, cursed so that every lord who holds it meets a terrible end.
Harrenhal was built by Harren the Black to be the greatest fortress ever raised, and it was — for exactly one day, until Aegon the Conqueror arrived with his dragons and turned it into the greatest monument to hubris ever built. The melted towers stand as a permanent reminder that no wall can stop dragonfire. The castle is so vast that most of it goes unused; echoing halls gather dust, and the kitchens alone could roast forty oxen. Every house that has held Harrenhal since the Conquest has been destroyed — the Qoherys, the Harroways, the Towers, the Strongs, the Lothstons, the Whents. Whether the curse is supernatural or simply the political reality of holding an indefensible white elephant, the result is the same. Tywin Lannister used it as a staging ground, and Arya Stark served as a cupbearer within its walls, learning to survive among enemies.
Five immense towers rise above walls that could contain a small city, but the towers are warped and partially melted, their tops drooping like candles left too long near a fire. Balerion's dragonfire fused the stone into grotesque shapes three centuries ago. Entire sections of the castle stand empty, too large and too damaged to maintain.
Also known as: Harrenhal, Harren's castle, the cursed castle