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Originally Posted by obloquy
Ealar who are capable of changing shape are obviously not bound to one physical shape, and are therefore still fundamentally discarnate.
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That may be so. In my opinion, we cannot equate the potential to return to a purely spirit state with the state itself. Various abilities of the ealar, such as transmission of thought, are affected when assuming shapes.
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In both cases it is unqualified, so in both cases its meaning must be considered all-inclusive.
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I am not completely sure what you mean by all-inclusive. Anyway, the problem with "greatest" is that it may include factors which do not relate to power and which might compensate for any difference between one of the greatest's power and Glorfindel's. Also, Glorfindel not being mentioned among the greatest may simply be due to the fact that he may have returned too late to Middle Earth (1200 SA, 1600 SA - or in the TA), to be included there, even though he may have qualified from a power point of view.
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The point, however, is that Sauron is unaffected by the Witch-King's death (though perhaps he felt it), and therefore the relationship between the two is obviously not the same as Sauron's connection to his Ring.
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I believe that the WK's "resilience" is a sufficient motivation for Sauron to invest in him, in the light of your initial argument. Also, the effect on Sauron may have occurred during the transfer of power (which I believe would be somewhat irreversible, unlike with the ring), which would explain why the WK's fall left Sauron unaffected at that time.