Unfortunately, I haven't watched this show, except for bits and pieces here and there, in years. However, I recently tried to explain the whole John Black/Roman Brady saga to my 16 yr old daughter and it went something like this:

Once upon a time in a town called Salem there was a man named Roman Brady (the first - played by Wayne Northrop) and another man named Chris Kositcheck (played by Josh Taylor). Roman Brady (the first) dies. Later, a different looking Roman Brady (the second - played by Drake Hogestyn) comes back. He was in a cave or on an island or something controlled by Stephano DiMeria who changed his face, his eye color and his height. However, it later turns out that Roman Brady the second (Hogestyn) really wasn't Roman Brady after all but a man called John Black (aka Forrest Allemaine and whoever else he has been called since then) when Roman Brady the first (Northrop) comes back to town. Roman Brady the first (Northrop) leaves again (can't remember where or why) and so does Chris Kositcheck (Taylor) at some point. John Black (Hogestyn) stays. Several years later, Roman Brady the third (now played by Josh Taylor who was originally Chris Kositcheck in the past) shows up and sticks around a while. Wayne Northrop (who originally played Roman Brady the first)comes to town as someone completely different; a psycho doctor I think who was apparently married to Marlena in some alternative universe (I never really understood that plot line) and leaves after a short while. So the Roman Brady(s) become John Black and some phycho doctor and Chris Kositcheck (or Crotchicheck as my dd calls him) becomes Roman Brady and no one seems to notice or care.

See why I quit watching this show? **SIGH**