That is, the permanent swelling in the ear that occurs after blunt force trauma, often seen in modern boxers, MMA fighters, wrestlers, rugby players, etc.
I imagine the answer to this question is 'yes' but I'm wondering if there are any artistic or written sources that would confirm it!
The answer is apparently yes, and there is a new paper on it tracing the swelling under different names back 2000 years.
Paraphrasing from the study:
Early athletes were very familiar with this deformation. Reference to damaged ears was seen as a badge of athletic prowess in literature, the hero Heracles is often represented with deformed ears.
Results: We were able to identify no fewer than 39 names for the deformity. The term cauliflower ear is of relatively recent origin. It was coined in the first decade of the 20th century, initially in the popular press and subsequently adopted by the medical profession.
I don't hold a degree in history, I just googled this out of personal interest. It would be welcomed for someone to write a more comprehensive answer, but it is better than nothing I hope.
There is a sculpture at the Met, The Boxer, from around 300 BC. You can see the boxer clearly has cauliflower ear, among other injuries. I know this isn't specific to Medieval knights, but it certainly indicates that ancient people understood what cauliflower ear was.
