I seemed to see this kind of differently than many. My first thought is that Avi's visitor in the waste is one of the forsaken. This person plants the idea in her head that there has to be more, to challenge the conventional wisdom so to speak. This sounds to me like sewing more chaos for the Aiel, which they hardly need.

So I was wondering, what do we know of how that ter'angreal works? Is it possible that it can be influenced by another channeler? I know it seems unlikely, but could one of the forsaken have been watching Avi and guided her to a bleak future? Avi comes back all impassioned to prevent it, and actually starts events that lead to hers and Elayne's early deaths?