George R.R. Martin's Christmas tweet has been mistaken for a coundown to the "Winds of Winter" release date. The author, described by Barbara Walters as one of the most fascinating people, clarified his social media post.

The issue, which broke the Internet started a few days ago when the author shared an image that says "We are dreaming of a Red Christmas." He then wrote the accompanying caption: "On the third day...the Freys decorated their tree...#12DaysofWesteros #books #GameOfThrones."

That led fans to believe that George R.R. Martin is counting down the release date for the "Winds of Winter."

The author then quickly clarified the matter as he wrote: "#12DaysofWesteros is NOT a countdown to the release of WoW, we're sorry for those of you who were misled, just spreading Christmas Cheer :)"

According to Media Bistro, Barbara Walters has included George R.R. Martin in her "10 Most Fascinating People" list for 2014.

"Martin earned his place on Walters' list due to the great popularity of the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' book series and the 'Game of Thrones' TV adaptation; both projects have made a serious mark in pop culture history," it said.

The other people in the list are: Oprah Winfrey, Taylor Swift, David Koch, Elon Musk, Neil Patrick Harris, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Strahan, Amal Clooney and Chelsea Handler.

The "Winds of Winter" release date has been speculated on by different websites dedicated to the "Game of Thrones" or the "A Song of Fire and Ice" series.

George R.R. Martin, meanwhile, admitted that he has felt a lot of pressure to release the latest installment owing to the popularity of the HBO series. There's also the fact that events in the TV show are threatening to pass the timelines in the novels so he needs to create new material where the creators of "Game of Thrones" can base on.