Brienne sure sounds ugly by modern standards in the book (see Wikipedia's description below). There's more going on with her than merely being a somewhat masculine woman. And she is, in fact, considered flat out ugly by non-assholes like Cat.

"Brienne is abnormally large and strong for a woman, and exceeds most men in size. She has large, very blue eyes that appear trusting and guileless, but they are her only attractive feature. She is extremely broad-shouldered, but has virtually no bust. Her face is broad and coarse, with a nose that has been broken several times. Her mouth is too wide, with prominent and crooked teeth and lips so plump they seem swollen. Her hair is the color of dirty straw and her face is mottled with freckles."