Ah, I see what you are bringing up. In The Wind Waker Link had to undergo trails in order to really weild the Triforce of Courage. In OoT, after gathering the Spiritual Stones and opening the Door of Time, he proved he was truly courageous, so when the Triforce split he recieved the Triforce of...
We can even go slightly futher with the reincarnation theory. SS Link had a bond with the Crimson Loftwing. A similar bond exists between Link and Epona in OoT, MM, and TP. Perhaps Epona is a reincarnation of the Crimson Loftwing? Overall reincarnation theory would be very profound. It seems...
It's possible that even with the natural talent with swordplay that each incarnation of the hero has, they can still improve. The Hero's Shade was simply trying to pass on the knowledge of a lifetime this way TP Link wouldn't have to spend a lifetime just getting caught back up to the level of...
Yeah, I'm pretty sure he was the character that said it.
There are many times in OoT where it is suggested that Link's role as the Hero of Time was predestined. The Deku Tree Sprout claims that the Great Deku Tree allowed the infant Link to remain in the Kokiri Forest, and to be raised there...
There was a quote I recall from TP where an old man in Castle Town says something along the lines of the body being divinely granted by "forces you cannot comprehend" or something. I'll try to help you out and find the exact quote, but it seemed to suggest reincarnation is in occurence.