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In the Mu Duk Kwan school of Tae Kwon Do (a school certified by the Kukkiwon), Grandmaster is attained at 7th Dan. The only person to have the 10th Dan is the president of the school.
While it's hard to really tell, there are 11 true schools in Tae Kwon Do, and the hierarchy differs slightly from house to house, but in general, if you hear someone tell you they're above 6th Dan, they're lying.
The master I studied under, Michael Couhie, just recently became the first American-born grandmaster in Mu Duk Kwan Tae Kwon Do (other than the honorary Chuck Norris). The samonim was allowed to watch, as was his kyosanim son, and the grandmaster (Kwan) who in turn trained him. He was presented with a new belt, and a certificate upon the successful completion of the test, and it now hangs in the dojang.
I feel really skeptical, and slightly insulted, when others say they were taught by a 8th degree so-and-so. For years I watched how hard my master -- now grandmaster, though he is no longer my teacher -- worked. The school - Riverside TKD/Hapkido - was named the #1 Kukkiwon-certified school in the country four years ago by the Kukkiwon and Black Belt Magazine. Two years ago, he was inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame. This stuff is all real, and something to be truly proud of, so I just get a bit irked when facts that can easily be looked up online are grossly exaggerated.
The best way to think of it is this: if the instructor of the Korean Tigers, the premier team of demonstrating Tae Kwon Do practitioners in the world, is only 6th Dan, can you really believe someone when they tell you they are the same rank? I would generally need proof.
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I'll be the one to protect you from your enemies and all your demons.
I'll be the one to protect you from a will to survive and voice of reason.
I'll be the one to protect you from your enemies and your choices, son.
They're one and the same I must isolate you, isolate and save you from yourself."
- A Perfect Circle
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