R.A. Salvatore
Robert Anthony Salvatore (b. 1959) is a prolific American sci-fi and fantasy author, specialising in stories on contract in other people's settings, particularly the Star Wars expanded universe and D&D's Forgotten Realms.
Before we get into the skub we must note our boy did the in-game chat lines for J.M.P. Van Waveren's multiplayer bots in Quake 3; and he wrote the Cleric Quintet.
One highlight of Salvie's career was murdering Chewbacca. Although that was less his skub than LucasArts'. Truth be told, in a universe where the Skywalker family is foremost, eventually someone is going to have to eat it, and he may as well die well. Take note, George Martin.
Salvatore is most "famed" in /tg/ for gifting to us, Icewind Dale (not Vale); including Drizzt Do'Urden, drow ranger and potato farmer extraordinaire. That means we have him to thank (alongside Peter Jackson) for every Legolas-like, special snowflake, lilac eyed-white-haired (dark)-elf-with-a-heart-of-gold since the mid-early 90s. Especially after the Dale ended up in Forgotten Realms, already Ed Greenwood's skubestan. The shield surfing is all on Jackson, though. (Although to be fair, the problem with Drizzt has more to do with shitty players making endless mary sue Drizzt clones than anything related to Drizzt himself.) Because of the Search For More Money, Salvatore went on to sketch out an entire drow city, Menzoberranzan, heavily modeled on Erelhei-Cinlu from That Other D&D Setting.