To throw a monkey wrench into the works and fuck up the canon further for me, what threw ME for a loop, personally, is that the grave in Simon's Quest has exactly the same design as the grave in Super Castlevania IV.
This was years ago, before finding out that CV1/CV4/ADx68000/VKiller, etc. are all interpretations of the same story.
The grave in Simon's Quest:
The grave in Super Castlevania (Uncensored JPN pic):
Also the whole mistranslated bit that says this:
ONCE AGAIN SIMON BELMONT
IS CALLED UPON TO DESTROY
DRACULA. WITH ONLY HIS
WHIP AND COURAGE HE SETS
OUT TO RESTORE PEACE TO
TRANSYLVANIA.
I was young and impressionable.
I thought that Simon's grandson had his same name. OR (after I got the 'hand' ending) that after Simon became uncursed, Drac came back somehow and he had to trek through a new castle, but now back to his 'super strong' (not cursed) mode, hence why he's so badass with whip abilities & swinging & such.