(Peter probably knows all this better than I, but here goes
The late Lord Brinne was a generous person who frequented many game-help type websites. (Peter probably knows his real name, which I don't remember.) He is also remembered in Elder Scrolls Morrowind, with a magical ring(?) hidden in a tomb named for him. The others (Flamestryke and Chlala, for example,) are/were TELPers from this very tavern.There are a lot of "Easter Eggs" in MM8, all of which can be found with diligent searching. (Somewhere, in a LARGE Amazon carton, I've probably got a list of them. At any rate, their co-ordinates can be found by searching the trees and (I believe,) shrubbery. "Clue greenery" are described slightly differently from regular greenery when you mouse over them. IIRC, some even have hidden goodies in them.
Hope this helps!