It's a great post you have put up here.
I remember an elder at elders meetings (back when I was still there) who would bring up an issue affecting the congregation in his opinion.
And I would say "how do you know that?"
And he would say, "I heard about it."
And someone else would say "who did you hear it from?"
And he would say "it is unimportant where I heard it, we need to deal with this person, or issue."
And I would jump in with "But is the person who repeated this to you a gossiper, are they even a reliable source of information?"
And he would get all worked up, and say how we couldn't let this problem fester etc, etc.
BECAUSE we all knew where he had heard it, it came from his wife! who definitely wore the pants in his home. But would he ever be honest and say "my wife told me about...." Of course not because that would make him look like he was not exercising his headship in the house.
And besides even back then it felt really good to wind him up.
The funny thing is that I recently heard that he is now the co-ordinator for his congregation, so I guess it's really his wife who is still directing things through him like a puppet on a string.