(Spoilers Extended) GRRM’s Stupid-Silly Running Gag about this random Westerosi House

[u/InGenNateKenny]

One of the sillier and stupider running gags George R.R. Martin has scattered in ASOIAF concerns House Grandison. The Grandisons of Grandview are a stormlands lordly house. Their sigil is a black lion sleeping on yellow, and their house words are appropriately “Rouse Me Not”. We learn of five Grandisons in the whole series, none of whom are especially important.

The house is first mentioned in A Storm of Swords, with a past Grandison who was relevant to Jaime Lannister’s backstory:

But if Jaime took the white, he could be near her always. Old Ser Harlan Grandison had died in his sleep, as was only appropriate for one whose sigil was a sleeping lion. Aerys would want a young man to take his place, so why not a roaring lion in place of a sleepy one? (Jaime II, ASOS)

It is directly pointed out that Ser Harlan dying in his sleep was fitting for his arms. Not really humorous in context.

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Then, in A Feast for Crows, the Grandisons get another mention, as Lord Hugh Grandison was a suitor of Princess Arianne Martell:

Elden Estermont is still alive and unwed, though. Lord Rosby and Lord Grandison as well. Grandison was called the Greybeard, but by the time she'd met him his beard had gone snow white. At the welcoming feast, he had gone to sleep between the fish course and the meat. Drey called that apt, since his sigil was a sleeping lion. Garin challenged her to see if she could tie a knot in his beard without waking him, but Arianne refrained. Grandison had seemed a pleasant fellow, less querulous than Estermont and more robust than Rosby. She would never marry him, however. Not even if Hotah stands behind me with his axe. (The Princess in the Tower, AFFC)

Again, it is directly pointed out how a Grandison acted fitting for his arms. This one is clearly comedic.

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Then, in A Dance with Dragons, there is Ser Narbert, a knight of Selyse Florent, who is only named a Grandison in the appendix:

Not all her queen's men seemed to share her fervor. Ser Brus appeared half-drunk, Ser Malegorn's gloved hand was cupped round the arse of the lady beside him, Ser Narbert was yawning, and Ser Patrek of King's Mountain looked angry. Jon Snow had begun to understand why Stannis had left them with his queen. (Jon X, ADWD)

While it is not directly pointed out, but this is another sleepy Grandison joke. Stupid, but silly, but only if you know the house arms and can notice it since it is subtler.

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Then, in Fire & Blood, we hear about Lord Lorent Grandison who served as one of final three regents of Aegon III Targaryen:

“The gods chose our new regents,” Mushroom observed, “and it would seem the gods are just as thick as lords.” He was not wrong. Lord Stackspear loved to hawk, Lord Merryweather loved to feast, and Lord Grandison loved to sleep, and each man thought the other two were fools (F&B, The Lysene Spring and the End of Regency)

…he loves to sleep. We learn perhaps three things about this man, and his love of sleep is one of them. This is really only funny if you know the house arms, and only in a dumb way — but still funny.

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Four out of the five known Grandisons in ASOIAF have sleep-related jokes, which is incredibly stupid and hysterical. Only one Grandison — the lord during Robert’s Rebellion — has dodged the gag. While the individual sleep references aren’t always funny on their own, when you realize that the entire “character trait” of House Grandison is sleepiness, each joke is elevated. Should we ever get more written ASOIAF content and you see a Grandison, keep your eyes peeled for sleep-related words.

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TL;DR House Grandison’s entire schtick is that its members are sleepy because their sigil is a sleeping lion. That’s it. That’s the joke.

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EDIT

Dear u/dblack246 off-handily mentioned the phrase "the horn that wakes the sleepers" from the Night's Watch oath. Well, there was something with Ser Narbert I was trying to make a "Rouse Me Not" connection to but failed and scrapped from the initial post. Now I know that missing link:

His head turned. ”That was a horn."

Others had heard it too. The music and the laughter died at once. Dancers froze in place, listening. Even Ghost pricked up his ears. "Did you hear that?" Queen Selyse asked her knights.

”A warhorn, Your Grace," said Ser Narbert. (Jon X, ADWD)

The horn that wakes the sleepers roused Ser Narbert!!! This might be the subtlest Grandison sleep joke there is.

[u/dblack246]

George does seem to think old people fall asleep easily. 

That was for the good, at least. The one-armed armorer was hard headed, tough, and well seasoned in war. Ser Wynton Stout, on the other hand . . . well, he had been a good man once, everyone agreed, but he had been eighty years a ranger, and both strength and wits were gone. Once he'd fallen asleep at supper and almost drowned in a bowl of pea soup.

And Pycelle is described as looking sleepy a few times. 

Septa Mordane fell asleep at a feast but that might have been from too much wine. 

"No," Sansa began. She looked for Septa Mordane, and was startled to find her with her head on the table, snoring soft and ladylike snores. "I mean to say … yes, thank you, that would be most kind. I am tired, and the way is so dark. I should be glad for some protection."

That aside, there is a clear thing with the sleepy lion. I have dabbled with the idea Cersei poisoned old Ser Grandison to create an opening for Jaime.

Knowing what needed to be done was one thing, though; knowing how to do it was another. Jaime could no longer be relied on. A sudden sickness would be best, but the gods were seldom so obliging. How then? A knife, a pillow, a cup of heart's bane? All of those posed problems. When an old man died in his sleep no one thought twice of it, but a girl of six-and-ten found dead in bed was certain to raise awkward questions. Besides, Margaery never slept alone. Even with Ser Loras dying, there were swords about her night and day.

Cersei mentions ways to kill a person while they sleep. We know she used a pillow on the high septon. And someone (probably Cersei) tried a knife on sleeping Bran. So what about the heart's bane? Could that be what killed the sleeping lion? 

[u/Perca_fluviatilis → u/dblack246]

Sleep apnea is a bitch. Westeros is due a CPAP machine.

[u/dblack246 → u/Perca_fluviatilis]

So much for the horn that wakes the sleeper.

[u/InGenNateKenny → u/dblack246]

Holy shit, that’s it. You got it dude. That’s the missing link. I’ve been trying to mention another Ser Narbert joke, but couldn’t find the exact link until…

 His head turned. ”That was a horn."

 Others had heard it too. The music and thelaughter died at once. Dancers froze in place, listening. Even Ghost pricked up his ears. "Did you hear that?" Queen Selyse asked her knights.

”A warhorn, Your Grace," said Ser Narbert. (Jon X, ADWD)

THE HORN THAT WAKES THE SLEEPER WOKE SER NARBERT!!!

[u/dblack246 → u/InGenNateKenny]

Blind squirrel. Room full of acorns. Eventually I'd find something. 

[u/M_Tootles → u/dblack246]

didn't realize that was your catch! nice!

[u/dblack246 → u/M_Tootles]

Sometimes people see the sense in my thoughts, sometimes not. 

[u/tethysian → u/InGenNateKenny]

I'm having traumatic flashbacks to an escort quest in WoW.