But despite being a new creation, Verna — and more specifically, her name — is still a veiled Poe reference. "Verna" is an anagram for "Raven," as in "The Raven," Poe's most famous poem.

As mentioned, Verna originally met the Usher twins on New Year’s Eve in 1980. This was a turning point in Usher family history, because it's when Madeline and Roderick kill his boss, Rufus Griswold.