Barristan Selmy said Rhaegar was the finest man he ever met. Doesn't that say a lot about Rhaegar?

[Brynden Blackfish Jr.]

Barristan the Bold served alongside legendary men such as Arthur Dayne and Gerold Hightower in the Kingsguard. I know this wasn't really covered in the show, but Arthur Dayne in particular was known for his loyalty, fighting skills, and honor. Ned Stark had the utmost respect for Dayne and was greatly saddened that he was responsible for Dayne's death. Ser Barristan seems to be an excellent judge of character (as evidenced by his rage at how slaves were treated in Astapor and the general culture there) and Ned Stark himself called Ser Barristan one of the most valiant and honorable men he knew. I've seen a lot of people debate about whether or not Rhaegar was the scumbag Robert made him out to be. It seems obvious that Robert would be a biased critic of Rhaegar, to say the least, but that doesn't mean that Rhaegar was all that great, either. However, after considering that Barristan the Bold considered Rhaegar the finest man he ever met, I think that means that Rhaegar was probably a great man, and that the story about him taking Lyanna by force was fabricated.