Who is Barliman Butterbur?

[Rumil]

According to Gandalf, Barliman Butterbur, although he seemed slow and rather stupid, could 'see through a brick wall in time'. As the landlord of the most prominent inn west of the mountains he must have met a great variety of folk pasing through and be reasonably well informed about the goings-on of Middle Earth. Although he wasn't exactly sparky, he could get to the bottom of a problem eventually and must have been a good businessman. His heart was certainly in the right place, when told that the Black Riders were from Mordor he bravely tried to do what he could for the Hobbits. Aragorn, though, had a harsher view, evidently believing him to be just a fat bar-steward.