Table notes - plain text not linking

When I am trying to create an internal link to plain text in a table to an existing thought, there are a number of issues.

1. It doesn't link to the entire matching thought,
2. Below is a screen capture showing where I copied the plain text out of the table and pasted outside the table. I am then able to create the internal link while the text is outside the table and then paste into the table cell.
3. But if I try to do that process while plain text inside the table cell it fails. And it fails in multiple ways, depending on which type of method for creating the link.
   1. For example, if I highlight the entire desired thought in the plain text shows auto-link, but when i use Ctrl+K it doesn't create the link and the whole table is highlighted.
   2. If I click on the highlight pop-up menu it sometimes (not always) will create a link for only part of the thought. For example "Jacksonville Braves - 1954" only "Braves - 1954" is created as the link.
   3. If i click on the hamburger menu of the pop-up menu it does nothing.