Daenerys was raped by Khal Drogo in harrowing scenesCredit: HBO

In the early seasons of the show, one of the most controversial moments came when Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) was raped by her new husband Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa).

Daenerys was sold into the marriage by her ruthless brother Viserys (Harry Lloyd), who had no qualms about her being mistreated if he could secure military aid from the Dothraki.

However, it turns out that series creator George RR Martin had wanted the consummation of the marriage to be consensual.

In James Hibbard’s Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon, which delves into behind-the-scenes secrets from the show, Martin claims showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff were behind the change.

“Why did the wedding scene change from the consensual seduction scene that excited even a horse to the brutal rape of Emilia Clarke?” he wrote.

“We never discussed it. It made it worse, not better.”

In response, Weiss admitted that the move was a mistake and ultimately boilded down to the scene being rushed.

“[We] just didn’t have that amount of time and access to the character’s mind, it turns too quickly,” he said.

Apparently even the cast were left uncomfortable by the moment.

“It was something the actors themselves felt wasn’t gelling. They weren’t able to find an emotional handhold,” he went on.

Khal Drogo ultimately died of a poisoned wound

Shetland viewers ‘give up’ on series as they blast BBC for ‘dreadful’ episodes

Daenerys went on to romance Jon Snow

The comments come after Martin shared his original plans for Hodor to go on killing spree in bloody scenes.

Elsewhere, Maisie Williams revealed the Westeros villain she wishes Arya had murdered in divisive final season

In other news, the Lord of the Rings TV series was slammed for ‘trying to rip off Game of Thrones’ with nudity and 𝑠e𝑥 scenes

All seasons of Game of Thrones are available to stream on NOW TV.