Yep, it's time to spin this conversation to its own thread. I think it's a valid discussion, just not here.
You mentioned disney, how do they avoid this?
The great entertainment purge was mentioned. Off-Kilter, Four 4 A Dollar/Return 2 Zero, Mulch Sweat and Tears were really the big ones. The short-contract rotations are a big benefit to that end. Also, for most of their other long-term entertainment (like the Dapper Dans and Voices of Liberty), they work by committee. It's not the same core guys for every show, plus a couple of swings. The way it was set up with the same guys every show, guests actually had time to develop specific habits and "relationships" with them that get murky. Variation and "group fronts" (Voices of Liberty aren't several people but just the Voices of Liberty) are the best way to combat this.
Disney is also very strict about role presentation. The characters are the characters and, while we know it's kayfabe, the performers who play them are completely separate from them. You don't really see Pixiedusters say, "Oh, Mike is the crappy Gaston so I'm not going back until Ken, the good Gaston, comes back from vacation." (I know it happens, but it's extremely rare and it breaks the unwritten rule of loving Disney which is "Don't ruin the magic.")
Universal messed up (either intentionally or not) and blurred that line. I can say, James, Erin, Jason, and PJ, and everyone knows I'm referring to Jack, Chance, Bill, and Ted. Some of it happened because of the designer forums when they introduced the performers as "who plays X." A lot of it happens through Twitter where management congratulates performers on their performances publicly. That would never fly at Disney. Jack the Clown would be MORE effective and scary if we had no idea who played him (which is one of the reasons why Bloody Mary worked so well). Imagine the emotional impact if Bill and Ted calling each other by their real names for the final show was the first time there was any acknowledgement or recognition of who they were as people (and prior to then we didn't know).
That's why I'm glad Matt Korn isn't THE guy to talk to for APs anymore. It shouldn't be a specific guy representing the entire company. The company should represent itself. Individual APs can have their specific reps (like season ticket holders for a sports team), but it shouldn't be one person who does EVERYTHING. When you do that, obsessives start to feel entitled because the business transaction starts to feel like a genuine, mutual relationship. That's not what it is.
The same barista takes my order at Starbucks every time I stop in. We know each others' names. We're friendly. We're not friends. That gets lost with a lot of obsessives.