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.

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.