I've pulled every quote regarding the Hero of Time from
this text dump:
Sheik said:
I've been waiting for you,
Hero of Time...
When evil rules all, an awakening
voice from the Sacred Realm will
call those destined to be Sages,
who dwell in the five temples.
One in a deep forest...
One on a high mountain...
One under a vast lake...
One within the house of the dead...
One inside a goddess of the sand...
Together with the Hero of Time,
the awakened ones will bind the
evil and return the light of peace
to the world...
This is the legend of the temples
passed down by my people, the
Sheikah.
This is the actual prophecy. She calls it a "legend," but the entire story is in future tense, and she's using it as an explanation of what Link must do next. This is solely about what Link is, what he must do, and the fact that the Sheikah have known about these two things for a while. There is no mention or implication of anyone else fulfilling this prophecy beforehand. Use Occam's razor please.
Sheik said:
As I see you standing there
holding the mythical Master
Sword, you really do look like the
legendary Hero of Time...
If you believe the legend, you
have no choice. You must look for
the five temples and awaken the
five Sages....
"real" does not appear in this quote (except in "really"). Please be careful with your quotations marks. "If you believe the legend, you have no choice" only makes sense if, as I said with the previous quote, the "legend" is actually a prophecy. A "traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but unauthenticated" wouldn't require any action. A prophecy would.
Rauru said:
The Master Sword is a sacred
blade which evil ones may never
touch....
Only one worthy of the title of
"Hero of Time" can pull it from
the Pedestal of Time....
However, you were too young to
be the Hero of Time....
Therefore, your spirit was
sealed here for seven years.
And now that you are old enough,
the time has come for you to
awaken as the Hero of Time!
Well, do you understand your
destiny?
Rauru adds an additional requirement to the prophecy: The MS can only be drawn from the PoT by the HoT. SS-Link used the MS before it was placed in the PoT, so this prophecy doesn't apply to him. There are several reasonable explanations for future Links being able to pull the MS from the PoT which I won't get into at this time. Link was too young to be the HoT simply because he couldn't wield the MS effectively as a child. It was designed with someone SS-Link's age in mind.
Of additional importance, Rauru cites Link's "Destiny." A telling of one's destiny is none other than a prophecy. There's no requirement for the actions of another to set a precedent for one's destiny.
Rauru said:
I, Rauru, am one of the Sages...
And...
Your power to fight together with
the Sages makes you the
Hero of Time!
The Hero of Time, chosen by the
Master Sword!
Keep my spirit with you...
And, find the power of the other
Sages and add their might to your
own!
Here, he's stating that Link is fulfilling the prophecy, or
destiny which he and Sheik described. (awakens the sages, pulls the MS out of the PoT)
Link, the Hero of Time...
You have overcome many
hardships and awakened six Sages.
And now you have a final
challenge, a showdown with
Ganondorf, the King of Evil....
Again, reflecting on Link's progress through the stated prophecy. (awakens the sages, binding the evil)
The Ocarina of Time opened the
door. The Hero of Time, with the
Master Sword, descended here.
This refers to OoT Link, combining the prophecy of the HoT with those surrounding the DoT. Nothing of interest here, or with the last one
Kid...
No...
Link, the Hero of Time!
Instead of keeping the promise I
made back then, I give you this
Medallion!
Take it!
Keeping Occam's Razor in mind, is there really any way or reason to stretch what they say to mean something more complex?