This is just open source. "kernel maintainers hated working with the pulseaudio team" is not news any more than "Theo de Raadt/Ulrich Drepper dislike some ideas of others". It is part and parcel of open source development. It doesn't need 'whitewashing'. This is how quality software is built.

Conversely, even referencing that the LKML was full of angry messages (again, LKML having drama is like the sky being blue) about pulse (or kdbus from the systemd team, which is also a thing) is just evidence that Redhat did and does work with upstream rather than having some walled garden which they jealously guard from the rest of the community.