The problems with the goofy dates/places/composite people in Dreams could be largely attributed to Willy who was just told the general idea and proceded to fill in the remaining 99% with horse hockey. They knew that any questions could be dismissed with editorializing and composites.
But wasn’t SAD still alive when that book was written? It was published in August 1995 iirc. SAD died at the age of 52, born ‘42...I’m thinking out aloud...hmmm, so they might have written it after she died and they knew they could write what-ever.
But what about Madelyn? She would have known...