Why did that man in the Riverlands in ACOK say that none of the horrible stuff that happened to him and other smallfolk would hvae happened when Aerys was on the throne? Was he ignorant or was he just dreaming of greener pastures?

poorquentyn:

racefortheironthrone:

Because most of Aerys’ reign was peaceful and nostalgia erases the rough edges. 

…which you can bet Varys is going to exploit. 

Absolutely. You can already see the fertile ground in AFFC and ADWD, with people remembering the good times of the Targaryens, and wondering about whether baby Aegon was really dead.