Aonuma hasn’t beaten the original Zelda, latched on to the series with A Link to the Past
This information comes from Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma…
“I’ve never actually finished it. I almost feel like there’s still no game more difficult than it. Every time I try to play it I end up getting ‘Game Over’ a few too many times and giving up partway through. Certainly after playing the original Zelda for the first time, I didn’t ever think that I wanted to make a game like that.”
Aonuma also discussed how A Link to the Past impacted his interest in the franchise…
“That sense of exploration of the world itself was really where I latched on to the series.”
Aonuma said that the first title he directed, Marvelous, was influenced by his appreciation for A Link to the Past. After seeing his game, Shigeru Miyamoto took interest in Aonuma and these series of events led to Aonuma joining the Zelda team.