Who was ר' מאיר בעל הנס?

Who was ר' מאיר בעל הנס ? One of the most ingenious innovation  in Tzedaka fundraising  was to attach the  name of ר' מאיר בעל הנס  to the Pushke and  placing it in every Jewish home. It is unknown who came up with this brilliant idea. It is also unknown who this ר' מאיר בעל הנס was. Contrary to the popular belief of most, it is not the Tanna R.Meir. The Sefer Zichron Yakov  (vol 2 p 30) writes ,  "The pushkes   were  named after  an Ish  Chasid   V’kadosh who lived in Eretz Hakodesh a few hundred years ago. He was famous – and was called ר' מאיר בעל הנס”. According to the Yerushalmi (Kelaim 9:3), R. Meir died in Chutz La'aretz (Place called Asia) and his body was placed in the sea in Chu"l. One of the first sources  that mention R. Meir’s  burial  place  in E. Y. is in the Sefer Gelilos Eretz Yisroel. He writes that R. Meir is buried in the city of Tveryah. The Seder Hadoros  quotes the same  Sefer Gelilos Haaretz   who writes, " R. Yitzchok from Gush Chalav and  ר' מאיר בעל הנס are both buried in Gush Chalav. The Gelilos Haaretz continues that he doesn’t know who the two  were. Two of the most prominent and respected Frum historians  (R. Yechiel Heilprin- Seder Hadoros  & R. Yaakov Lipschutz - Zichron Yaakov ) both believed , that ר' מאיר בעל הנס  and  the Tanna R.Meir were two different people.  1)  R.M. is buried in Tveryah    RMBH is buried in Gush Chalav  2)  Seder Hadoros & Gelilos Haaretz don’t know who R.M.B.H. was  3)  Zichron Yaakov claims R.M.B.H. lived a few hundred years ago        R.M. lived two thousand years ago.                 4)   To donate  L’iluy  Nishmas a Tanna who was niftar 2,000 years            ago sounds strange. A Neshama of 2000 years has reached it’s peak a long time ago.   5)  Why do the other hundreds of Tanoim & Amoraim most of whom were also, מלומדים בנסים   yet their Neshama doesn't need an Aliyah                                         6) The Loshon, Baal Haness is not found in Shas.  In Gemoro ,        we only find the term Melumad Banisim.