Both Iron and I, as well as most players for that matter, would find that Dessa could make it, since the game is running on version SoD!:)

I will certainly change my point of view if you, or any other participant, provide 2 saves where the same Dessa can run 1 or 2 cells further in one case, and 1 or 2 cells less in the second, with the same starting army!

Same as me. I play on Shadow of Death, and sometimes on Platinum if it's happening at work. But generally, the version won't make a hero run any further.
Now regarding the biography: I have the original English version, while Buka translated it to their own taste, so... that's why I never play Russian-language games; everyone translates for themselves. But I think I've proven that Dessa is a man — just look at his beard for instance...:D

Added after 5 minutes

click, that's what I was saying, that Moner will always move at the same speed when buying:)

And no one is arguing with that, which is why he moves the same — pseudo-units, air elements in this case, do not adjust Moner's movement. For Kyrre and Dessa, the second and third units are respectively slower than their first ones, which is why they can run differently. And for Gunnar, the first unit is the slowest, so pseudo-harpies or beholders do not affect the move distance.