Is it recommended that I read Romance of the Three Kingdoms before reading The Ravages of Time or can I jump right into the manga? Thanks, any help is greatly appreciated.

It's not absolutely necessary, but definitely recommended in order to catch the main thread of the story. Despite the striking deviations from the texts, the general course of events in TROT still follows that of the chronicles, hence being familiar with the novel lowers your chances of getting lost thorough the plot.