He was the third son of Ivan Vladislav and Maria. He had two older brothers, Presian and Alusian, as well as three younger ones, and six sisters. After the death of Ivan Vladislav in February 1018, Bulgarian resistance to the decades-long attacks of the Byzantine emperor Basil II () collapsed, and Aaron with his two older brothers fled to Mount Tmoros in Tomornitsa. Basil surrounded the mountain with troops, and the three brothers eventually surrendered, after receiving guarantees for their safety. Presian received the high title of "magistros" (suggesting that he was the eldest son, and his father's heir)), while Alusian and Aaron received the slightly lower title of "patrikios". Presian was later involved in a plot to usurp the throne from Emperor Emperor Romanos III Argyros in , resulting in him being blinded and exiled to a monastery, and the second brother, Alusian, was involved in the failed Uprising of Peter Delyan in 1040, usurping its leadership before betraying it to the Byzantines.