Was Christopher Columbus acting on any tips from prior travellers?

All I know is that Columbus did visit Bristol. What he heard there about the New World is 100% speculation. I cheerfully admit that.

Well, to be fair, what he hated was Columbus’s slavery, and slavery in the Americas :Las Casas' Discovery: What the 'Protector of the Indians' found in America

He did start out as a supporter but he changed his mind after seeing the cruelty to the native populations.

Indeed his father did travel with Columbus, but I dont see that his father was around when Columbus pitched his ideas.