Ka cika wannan furcin: Mahaifin wannan iyalin shi ne Stephen, wanda ya yi hidima a ƙarƙashin Basil na II (r. 976<unk>1025) a matsayin Ma'aikacin Makarantun Yammacin Turai, kuma an yi masa laƙabi da "Kontostephanos" ("gajeren Stephen") saboda tsayinsa. Babban alhakin babban mataki na Basil ta wulãkanci shan kashi a cikin
Yaƙin Gates na Trajan da Bulgarians, daga baya ya shiga cikin makirci kuma sarki ya doke shi.