People get told all the time that they're SUPPOSED to make demands that are in toto outside the realm of possibility, because otherwise they'll never get all they COULD be getting. (And, in fact, she successfully negotiated a more than 20% hike in salary on a different job offer.) I think it's a communication error and in fact proves nothing about what sort of person she is.

I also think the existence of such a complicated hiring culture makes it very easy for bias and sharp practices to exist and become entrenched.