"The Jungle Book" theory.
Famous Rudyard Kipling has a story collection called "The Jungle Book". I suggest you all to pay attention to its chapters 5 and 9. Chapter 5 is called... surprise... "Tiger! Tiger!". Chapter 9 is called "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi". It's about a pair of antagonistic cobras named Nag and Nagaina.
So, I offer that there is also a female RJ or "Red Joan". I'm not going to suit all the clues for this suggestion, but even the "He is Mar..." makes sense. RJ was McAllister. When I heard Kirkland's story about his brother, I made a guess that RJ must be one of the elder suspects - Stiles, McAllister, maybe Bertram, and among these McAllister was the most probable one. Besides, we were shown several times how somebody escapes some scenes on police car (for example, you may rewatch the last couple of minutes of season 4). Understanding and sharing all the unsatisfaction about S06E08, I have to conclude that McAllister was RJ with a very high probability.
But, as I said, there must be another "tiger" as well, or "tigress", to be correct. We know that the concept of criminal couples is highly connected to RJ. At this point I can't present a full theory, but we may discuss some female characters and create a new "list of 7". I suggest:
1) Madeleine Hightower. Helping to catch a man who is chasing RJ is the very right thing to do for this "tigress". On the other hand she might be more Bagheera.
2) Kristina Frye. We used to see her doing some extraordinary thing. But this kind of Frye simply could not exist, and PJ thinks the same way. So we have a character that can't exist, and may be hopeful to get some revelations about her true methods.
3) Rosalind Harker. RJ was using everybody he had in his "friends", and they all were useful. Perhaps the only exception is Harker. Sorry, but she is just useless for RJ. So either RJ truly loved her, or she is not just what she shows. On the other hand, she might be the key to one of the hardest mysteries: how RJ got the list? Everybody was criticizing PJ about the fact that he hadn't tried to check the voice recordings of the suspects with Frye to identify RJ. Actually we can't be sure he hadn't.
4) Lorelei Martins. If the previous thought about how RJ could get the list is true, then Martins had to be alive. Her death could be faked because of Partridge playing on RJ's side. Not a big fact, but when she was ordered to cut PJ's two fingers she chose the finger with a wedding ring. If she is the "tigress", then she was engaged in her sister's murder. She was playing like she is going to take a revenge, and later Lennon could enlighten this situation but was killed in hospital by M.Kirkland, who asked him a question to be sure he hadn't told anything to his twin brother Bob. Another fact is the shaken hands. First, I can't imagine RJ telling somebody about a simple handshake. It should be a special shaking, deserving to be mentioned. So, one more point for McAllister to be RJ. And second, RJ could share information only with somebody very close to him, like a wife.
5) Kim Fischer. Not much to say about this character yet. But her undercover actions and skills of putting ideas into PJ's head are very promising.
6) Ellen Preston. What a list without a forgotten character? Ellen Preston was the woman involved in "The Red Barn" story. It's supposed that RJ killed Talbot and Charney, who were running the farm. They were in conflict with Ellen Preston, so maybe RJ's probably first two murders were made to protect Ellen or her daughter, Holly Preston. Both could be love interest for young RJ.
7) Woman from the chapel. What a list without the second minor character? First, we were shown how this woman escaped before FBI reached the chapel, and this means she is still active. Second, the knife she was wearing was stupid but classic for criminal couples (one with a gun and another with a knife). Third, Gupta mentioned RJ being religious, it's also mentioned Tim Carter's connection with missionary in Africa, and McAllister being a big lover of hunting. So maybe McAllister was on safari and his wife (as I remember, RJ had a ring) was serving at church (and by this sourcing RJ with new suitable recruits). And forth, if RJ was PJ's reflection, then this "tigress" should be Lisbon's reflection. The actresses playing Lisbon and this mysterious woman are Robin Tunney and... one more surprise... Susan Tunney (actually not sure about this fact, because the role "Woman" mentioned in IMDB may refer to another character).
P.S.: If you read this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T... you may find some similarities with the mentalist story.
P.P.S.: In "The Second Jungle Book" there is a story called "Red Dog".

Does anyone have a tangible explanation for Red John knowing the list of 7 suspects (see season 5 finale) ? 
Do I have to abandon the hope of being provided with some (any?) explanation on Red John's actions (either with the TV show or the various contributors of this website) ?

That Red Lutz is even crazier than Stoopkid, who at least is not rude.

What a moron thing to say: "if you think Red John is dead then don't come to this website". Well I'm sorry but some people want to talk about what's happening on the show after Red John's death. Yes, the website's name is Who is Red John because when it started we didn't know who Red John was. Now we know so the website's name doesn't matter anymore.
This page should be about the show now not 'who is Red John'. I bet in 5 years time some people here will still be sure that RJ was Rigsby or Van Pelt or whatever.

Red  John was Sheriff Thomas McAllister, the sheriff of Napa County, portrayed by Xander Berkeley whether you like it or not!
Lol, why is it so hard to accept now that the whole show has moved on!?

So many people still expecting the show to somehow erase the damage done by the 10 or so episodes this season.  They eagerly wait for a dream sequence, a coma, or another sort of deus ex machina trick to forgive all.

Well, here is how you will know what happens next in the show.  All you need is to understand two things:

First, it is easy to hook the audience with wild clues that are all over the map, if you have no idea what the ending is going to be like.  If you have no clue, and especially no desire to tie things up at the end, you can make things up as you go along because there really is nothing holding you back.  Furthermore, each new twist or "clue" only makes the show that much more exciting.  There are many examples of this from the X Files to the Lost.

Second, you must realize that the Mentalist has been copying other shows, notably Profiler and Dexter, pretty liberally and literally:

1) In Dexter, two main characters are a blonde male (Dexter) and a dark-haired, non-traditionally beautiful woman (his sister Deb).  The Mentalist has the same characters, in physical appearance, in PJ and Lisbon.

2) In Dexter, a character says: "there is a storm coming your way."  In Mentalist, this becomes, "there is a comeuppance headed (PJ's) way."  Not only this but even the timing of the above sentence are almost identical in the final sequence of the episodes.

3) In Dexter, Deb gets attacked from behind and gets pulled down.  In the Mentalist, Lisbon suffers this attack.  If you watch the clip, I guarantee your jaw will drop and you will end up muttering a few choice profanities at the Mentalist.  If you are interested, it is Dexter's season 7, episode 3, named "Buck The System."  Just watch from 49-51 minutes in the show.

4) In Dexter, a woman comes on the show out of nowhere when Dexter seems to be in most trouble.  While she appears to be an adversary, she proves to be helpful to Dexter and she paves the way for the show's finale.  In the Mentalist, this plot is copied almost identically and carried out by Lorelei Martins.

5) Dexter is a bad (good) guy.  So, the series ending cannot be copied directly.  Here, the great writers of the Mentalist turn to Profiler and copy the exact disclosure of the villain: a small town sheriff is the bad guy.  (See the first point above about not caring to tie all the past clues.)

So, how do you know what will happen next in the show?  Well, it is going to be just like your other favorite show, of course!  The one that is on cable now or the one that was canceled a few years ago!

Bruno Heller: "A lot of people will be disapointed by the reveal of Red John"

AMAGAD HELLER HAS PSYCHIC POWERS!!!

I REALLY HATE TO BE LIKE THIS BUT DO ANY OF YOU HAVE A LIFE? YOU ARE TREATING THIS RED JOHN THING LIKE IT IS REAL? ITS A SHOW, GET OVER IT AND MOVE ON. I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU PEOPLE HAVE THIS MUCH TIME ON YOUR HANDS. IF YOUR A GUY, THEN GET A JOB OR GET A GIRLFRIEND BECAUSE THIS IS PATHETIC. YOU SHOULD READ THE THINGS YOU WRITE ON HERE AND WASTE YOUR LIFE ABOUT. IT IS OBVIOUS NOBODY ON THIS SITE IS FROM THE NORTHEAST COAST BECAUSE YOU WOULD HAVE TOO MUCH TO DO. I'M GUESS MOST PEOPLE ARE FROM EITHER THE SOUTH OR MIDWEST. GET A LIFE MOVE ON PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In an episode from season 4, to prove he was alive to everyone RJ killed a morgue attendant who FBI agent Darcy spoke to, Rosland said that Roy had visited her - and Jane and everyone found a the dead body of the attendant in the closet.

Also Harker states that Roy told her to pass on a message to Jane, can't remember what it was but it was clear that it was from RJ.

Simple.