Back to conjecture here, but I can't think of a good way to test this hypothesis: Possibly the confusion between cut and rolled threads on the part of some has to do with how they are cut. Threads that are created with a threading die in a bike shop are always seen as cut. But threads that are cut on a lathe in a manufacturing plant may be mistakenly seen as rolled rather than cut, because it's an industrial process that could be described as rolling, since the steerer is rotated as the threads are cut.

In other words, this could be analogous to the confusion about "sealed bearings." To some, it means a loose-ball bearing that includes some sort of rubber seal, while to others it means a cartridge bearing.

Maybe that just muddies the waters further, I don't know.