system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Hansel and Gretel] Were the Witch and the Stepmother the same person?
gpt
First edition of the story: No.

Later editions of the story: Maybe.

The original story has about a million variations that have popped up over the centuries. Some versions of the story do have an association with the (step)mother and the witch, who is sometimes Baba Yaga. 

There is unfortunately no fully watsonian answer for this but I'd recommend looking into the wikipedia article if you've got the time.