I've seen someone on YouTube comment that the guy who holds the torch besides the Emperor in the intro is actually High Elf Chancellor Ocato (seen in Oblivion)... Is that right or just a rumour?

Not sure if they ever expressly remark that it's Ocato, but it's pretty much implied.

At the time of Daggerfall actually, Ocato wasn't Chancellor but actually the new Imperial Battlemage to the Emperor. Uriel VII's previous Imperial Battlemage, Jagar Tharn, as you know, betrayed him at the time of the Imperial Simulacrum and was ultimately destroyed at the end of Arena, and Ocato was his replacement. Not sure exactly when he ascended to lead the Elder Council, or if perhaps one of the two roles is inclusive of the other.

EDIT: Found it! In Daggerfall's manual, there's a backstory section which adds a bit of detail to how you came to befriend the Emperor and the circumstances under which you are called to his throne room in the introduction. It states, "[Uriel] trusted his last Imperial Battlemage, the power-mad Jagar Tharn, and it nearly destroyed him. His current Imperial Battlemage, Ocato of Firsthold, long of the Elder Council, has alone earned the position of the Emperor's confidante and chief advisor."

The person specifically seen in the introduction is later reinforced as Ocato in the next paragraph, "Uriel Septim greeted you formally, in utter darkness, as Ocato lit a single candle, emanating the barest illumination."

In the Daggerfall manual, there's a prologue that is a written version of what happens in the intro video. I do not remember the exact words, but it goes like this:

"As you arrive at the Imperial Palace, past midnight, you see your friend, Emperor Uriel VII, sitting in his chair with his trusted Battlemage, Ocato, wielding a torch while standing right next to him."

So, yep, that man is Ocato.


EDIT: Damn, you found it before me StoneFrog.

Thanks for the info.