I should probably explain what I mean by 'convoluted.' By 'convoluted' I mean unnecessarily complex. I don't consider ASOIAF to have convoluted lore because their worlds are going for epic scales that require a tremendous deal of complexity in order to feel properly large and lived in. A detailed history of the Targaryen Dynasty and other nobles houses was needed in order for the world of ASOIAF to feel like a proper feudal society populated by realistic people. Works whose lore I would consider convoluted would be things like the Star Wars EU. While there were a number of interesting things in the Star Wars EU there were just as examples of world building for the sake of world building. For instance, making it so lightsabers couldn't be used unless the wielder was at least force sensitive and creating a martial art that allows non-force users to take on jedi doesn't add anything to the story. It just creates an unnecessary complication doomed to create lore contradictions that will inevitably lead to contrived answers to the contradictions.
by Few_Difficulty_9618