Ramsay obviously wrote the pink letter

[Northernmonkey]

He didn't imitate Ramsay's personality perfectly.

The heads on winterfell, no blood, no skin. This isn't an authentic Ramsay letter. It's a poor copy.

Plus with the statement he rushed the letter. Their is no mention of it looking rushed. In fact it being rushed only helps the argument of mance, if he didn't want to get caught.

It was written either in the heat of battle or in the aftermath of a battle. It's fair to assume that he might not have had the time to write it in blood. Not that the book mentions whether the pink letter is written in ink or blood anyway.

As for the skin, we've only ever seen him send Theon's skin in letters. I doubt he sends skin with every letter he sends. Why would he send the skin of some random spearwive to Jon? What would be the point?

As for the heads on the wall, this is a violent psychopath we're talking about. You're not telling me that Ramsay has never put a few heads on spikes.

[Ferocious Veldt Roarer]

Rattleshirt? It kind of helps if you look exactly like him.

You mean, pretending to be someone else in a letter is harder? :D

[Nights Kings Queen]

NorthernMonkey

firstly - if it was written in blood it would mention it. The absence of the blood and mention of the ink hints it's just normal ink. If it was written in a rush I see no reason why the blood would be left out. It's not like cutting himself or someone would be a long task. In fact it would be quicker than getting someone to find ink.

Secondly - we've only seen one letter of his and the fact that it has skin says alot. This is something Ramsay will do with letters. And why wouldn't he send some skin? It's not like it wouldn't affect jon, sending skin puts truth into words as shown with asha.

Third - Maybe he has. But it isn't his style. He likes flaying and since these are traitors he would flay them. He's flayed people for less.

[Northernmonkey]

You mean, pretending to be someone else in a letter is harder? :D

Well yeah. Pretending to be someone when you have their face is a piece of piss

[Wolf's Bane]

Ramsay is the most likely candidate. He has all of the information needed to write that letter. But, it's likely that he did so without his father's approval. It reads like a hastily written letter.

[Northernmonkey]

Secondly - we've only seen one letter of his and the fact that it has skin says alot. This is something Ramsay will do with letters. And why wouldn't he send some skin? It's not like it wouldn't affect jon, sending skin puts truth into words as shown with asha.

In ADWD Ramsay sends Jon a letter informing him that he's taken Moat Cailin and flayed the Ironborn, and that he's to marry Arya Stark. He doesn't attach any skin then, so he clearly doesn't do it every time.

[Nights Kings Queen]

Ramsay is the most likely candidate. He has all of the information needed to write that letter. But, it's likely that he did so without his father's approval. It reads like a hastily written letter.

It reads like a forged letter.

And as balerion pointed out ramsay doesn't have all the information. There is no reason to believe abel and the others got caught. Frenya and the other one died. The one who knows all the the information is mance.

[Nights Kings Queen]

In ADWD Ramsay sends Jon a letter informing him that he's taken Moat Cailin and flayed the Ironborn, and that he's to marry Arya Stark. He doesn't attach any skin then, so he clearly doesn't do it every time.

There was no threat in that letter. He has just claimed to have flayed 6 women and no skin?

[Northernmonkey]

There was no threat in that letter. He has just claimed to have flayed 6 women and no skin?

In the first letter he claims to have flayed all the ironborn yet doesn't send any skin. He sends ironborn skin to Asha because she will take it personally, but not Jon because he won't. Therefore why would he send the skin of the spearwives to Jon? Why would Jon care about them?

[Wolf's Bane]

fARya and Theon barely escaped. If one washer woman got caught, they all got caught. She's not going to hold back in the interrogation. As soon as Theon escaped, Winterfell went on lock down.

Ramsay has all of the information in that letter. He knows what Mance knows. He knows the bastard sent his agents to steal away the fake Arya. Notice, he refers to fArya as his bride, not Arya. Because he knows there is no fooling Jon. Jon would know right away its not Arya.

[Chaircat Meow]

I don't understand the need to attribute the letter to someone other than Ramsay either. The likeliest scenario is that Stannis has fooled the Boltons into thinking he was really defeated and Rams wrote the letter on receiving word of his 'victory' from the Freys and Manderlys.

[Nights Kings Queen]

In the first letter he claims to have flayed all the ironborn yet doesn't send any skin. He sends ironborn skin to Asha because she will take it personally, but not Jon because he won't. Therefore why would he send the skin of the spearwives to Jon? Why would Jon care about them?

Why would he not care about someone the writer hinted Jon sent to get his sister back?

The iron born mean nothing to him. The people saving his sister do.

Anyway I'm leaving soon and this topic is going back and forth.

[Northernmonkey]

Why would he not care about someone the writer hinted Jon sent to get his sister back?

The iron born mean nothing to him. The people saving his sister do.

Anyway I'm leaving soon and this topic is going back and forth.

The point is that you can't claim Ramsay always sends skin with letters, because that's not the case.

[Nights Kings Queen]

The point is that you can't claim Ramsay always sends skin with letters, because that's not the case.

Yes you really can. The content of this letter would have allowed ramsay and encouraged him, to send some skin.

And it's not just about the skin. As this thread has shown.

[plectrum]

Your false king is dead, bastard. He and all his host were smashed in seven days of battle. I have his magic sword. Tell his red whore.

Your false king's friends are dead. Their heads upon the walls of Winterfell. Come see them, bastard. Your false king lied, and so did you. You told the world you burned the King-Beyond-the-Wall. Instead you sent him to Winterfell to steal my bride from me.

I will have my bride back. If you want Mance Rayder back, come and get him. I have him in a cage for all the north to see, proof of your lies. The cage is cold, but I have made him a warm cloak from the skins of the six whores who came with him to Winterfell.

I want my bride back. I want the false king's queen. I want his daughter and his red witch. I want this wildling princess. I want his little prince, the wildling babe. And I want my Reek. Send them to me, bastard, and I will not trouble you or your black crows. Keep them from me, and I will cut out your bastard's heart and eat it.

Ramsay Bolton, Trueborn Lord of Winterfell.

Every single person mentioned in this letter is referred to by something other than their actual name, with the exception of Mance Rayder.

It seems to be laid on a little thick to be a straightforward letter.

[Northernmonkey]

Every single person mentioned in this letter is referred to by something other than their actual name, with the exception of Mance Rayder.

That's because Ramsay is a horrible guy who wants insult everyone and provoke Jon.

[plectrum]

That's because Ramsay is a horrible guy who wants insult everyone and provoke Jon.

I don't find "my wife" or "wildling princess" or "his daughter" to be insults. Also, if the intent is to get a rise out of Jon, why use Mance's name?

There's a theme of false identities in that letter and I'm of a mind that it indicates something about the writer

[Red Typer of Dorne]

Ser Alliser is behind the plot against Jon Snow. He did not go ranging. He is somewhere near Castle Black, or he may be hiding in the worm holes beneath it.

He may well be, but as far as I remember, Ser Alliser is not aware that they burned a fake Mance.

I disagree. I don't remember Ramsay using this word at all, insult or not; he hates it. Does he ever use it? Where? On the other hand, Mance Rayder did throw it, intended as an insult, at Lord Snow, we were there.

He didn't, poor communication on my part, I meant that Ramsay views being a bastard as a negative thing, if people view something as an insult, they are more likely to use it as an insult.

Overall I still see no reason for it to be anyone other than Ramsay. It would be a huge shift in character for Stannis, who objects to putting 'my beloved brother' in the letter about joff illegitimacy because it was a lie.

[Bawn]

Your false king is dead, bastard. He and all his host were smashed in seven days of battle. I have his magic sword. Tell his red whore.
Your false king's friends are dead. Their heads upon the walls of Winterfell. Come see them, bastard. Your false king lied, and so did you. You told the world you burned the King-Beyond-the-Wall. Instead you sent him to Winterfell to steal my bride from me.

I will have my bride back. If you want Mance Rayder back, come and get him. I have him in a cage for all the north to see, proof of your lies. The cage is cold, but I have made him a warm cloak from the skins of the six whores who came with him to Winterfell.

I want my bride back. I want the false king's queen. I want his daughter and his red witch. I want this wildling princes. I want his little prince, the wildling babe. And I want my Reek. Send them to me, bastard, and I will not trouble you or your black crows. Keep them from me, and I will cut out your bastard's heart and eat it.

Ramsay Bolton, Trueborn Lord of Winterfell.

For most of this letter the names of people are not used. He uses insults or nicknames to describe nearly every person mentioned in the letter. The only exception is Mance Rayder who he also calls the King Beyond the Wall.

For me, there are two possible writers. Either Ramsay or Mance. There is a lot of information in that letter that, as far as the reader knows, Ramsay does not yet know. We know that Mance has all of the information that would allow him to write this letter. Unless Ramsay captured Mance and successfully tortured all of this information out of him, I am going to say Mance wrote the letter. However, I have no idea why he would do that.

[Knight Of Winter]

Three main problems I have with the theory that Ramsay is the author:

1) what's the motive? Letter is obviously provocative, likely meant to goad Jon into taking action. Now, with their hold on the North uncertain, and many lords openly or secretly wishing their downfall, why would Boltons want another enemy on their back? They have enough problems already, they don't need army of wildlings on their doorstep as well.

2) some part of the letter is obviously bullshit: battle lasted 7 days on such weather? And if Ramsay really smashed Stannis, he would have found Jeyne and Theon in his camp. They couldn't have gone far in a snow-storm, especially not as far as the Wall.

3) author puts emphasis on the wrong people entirely. If the letter is truly written by Ramsay, he should be concerned about finishing Stannis' cause once and for all - he should be demanding Selyse and Shireen. And yet, he also wants Melisandre (why), Val (what for? Why does Ramsay need Val?) and Mance's son (ditto Val). The last three people are important to Mance, not to Ramsay.

Overall, Ramsay doesn't strike as a likely author. I'm less sure about who might that be; Mance would be my best guess.