Just to clarify what Silencer said. You can adopt your army captains if they perform well on the battlefield. So have a couple stacks hunt down rebels or small enemy forces. After a few battles you usually get a notification that this captain is a hero and worthy of your family yada yada, do you wish to adopt him?

I have 2 so far, one has married and there have been births (not his wife) since the first was adopted.

I have not adopted a faction general, so I can't confirm that what King Azzole is seeing is bad luck or a bug.