The right word I think is *intermodulation*. "Multiplication" is used to highlight the fact that higher harmonics are increased in certain topologies (by a sort of "IM shaping" process).
"...isn't an emitter follower a common power amplification stage?"
The most common, I would say.
"Does the argument about the load being the primary feedback determining component in an emitter follower set off alarm bells with you?"
It does, and this is something that Nelson Pass begins to address in his Mar 1978 Audio article, "Cascode Amp Design". His Fig. 3 shows an amplifier operating near the center of the transfer curve (mapped onto the actual collector characteristics in this case). His Fig. 7a shows an emitter-follower with CCS. His Fig. 7b shows the same circuit with a cascode (which being a SS version of the Loesch CCCF I cited earlier). Pass's Fig. 8b shows the spectrum for the CCS circuit. It shows strong harmonics. His Fig. 8c shows the spectrum for the cascode-CCS circuit. It shows virtually no harmonics.
His Fig. 5 shows the region of cascode operation, which maintains Vce constant. This corresponds to horizontal characteristics.
Unfortunately Pass doesn't show distortion when the cascoded emitter-follower is loaded by a loudspeaker. He does imply there will be moderate distortion if the amp is not operated in pure class A.