The answer is simple and has been in front of us. Please see theory 11544 for background. The great red dragon is a paintinfg describing revelations 13. The reason everyone describes red john so differently is bc there are 3 red johns. The book of revelations says there is a dragon (minelli) who gave his power to a beast that rose up with 7 heads (bertram or mccallister, one of the 7) and that another beast came forward to protect and annoint the first beast (my guess is haffner or ardiles). Each RJ had a mistress - rosalind, lorelei, and kristina frye. That is why rj is both on the list and not, why he has a different voice to different people and that is how they will explain it. In the end pj will kill the rj that killed his family, but that will not be bertram, whom he has identified and that is whybhe will become a fugitive. It is also why there are so many followers and disciples and that they are killed in different ways (poison, fire, suicide). Each rj has a specific group of followers and mo. Smiley face and knife is one rj, shootings is another, burn is another.