Shlishi: I very rarely get involved in discussions of rating people. When someone is accepted by (almost) everybody as being a certain caliber, then there is no need to rate them. I think it’s more or less accepted who is of that caliber. When I said “fairly big”, I meant a Shul Rav or Rebbe in a major Yeshivah who is respected but is not recognized as being one of the generation’s leading Talmidei Chachamim.
WIY: That’s strange. I have heard the statement by R’ Shlomo Zalman said in several places so it’s fairly Yadua, and I will B”N try and find the place in the Igros where I saw something similar.