Ser Criston Cole is a knight from House Cole who rose to become Lord Commander of the Kingsguard for Viserys I Targaryen. His relationship with Viserys's daughter, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, was first friendly and then adversarial, after becoming an ally of the Greens.

Criston convinced Viserys's son, Prince Aegon the Elder, to claim the rule of the Seven Kingdoms as his father lay dead. This led to the Dance of the Dragons, a civil war between Aegon II and his elder half-sister, Rhaenyra, whom Viserys had long groomed as his successor. For this the knight became known as Criston the Kingmaker. Criston also served as Hand of the King for Aegon II during part of the war.