I believe that some of these encounters are with an actual person co-opted by guides/messengers/angels what have you to deliver a message. I've experienced that a couple of times on Medium when Sitara has delivered me a message through Brooklyn Muse: https://marcus17043.medium.com/my-eternal-flame-279e2dd4baf3 and https://medium.com/channspirations/synchronized-energies-f3dc8d520f38