If, as seems possible, the old man in Graendal's palace and the old man on the barrel are the same, he might be none other than Rodin? Ituralde, the fifth and last great captain who disappeared during the troubles in Arad Doman. That is where Graendal's palace is/was located, and we know she "uses Compulsion like a hammer," which can result in memory loss, and a "peculiar" feeling like the one the old man experiences.