Is it possible front brake replacement damaged something which caused HCU/MC leak and failure?

[Cyberdave]

Here’s what happened with my 2013 Edge SEL’s HCU (hydraulic control unit / ABS) and Master Cylinder. And then my question has to do with could having the front brakes replaced, if a mistake was made, over time, cause this failure? 
Back in 2019 at 60k miles I had the brake booster replaced under TSB 13N02 and the master cylinder had to be replaced as well. Now it has 110k miles. A week ago I was exiting the highway and the brakes appeared to not work as the pedal went to the floor and then started working that way. Was scary but in spite of no assist/booster they worked. There were no warnings or error messages at all. I took it the Ford dealer and they said it needed a new HCU and MC (“Found internal leaks present in the HCU and the brake master.”) and it was going to cost friggin $2000! I was gobsmacked. Like wtf?! I looked online and other people in the last few years have paid close to that. Once fixed, now the brakes work normally. 

 

Here’s the weird part. A year ago my regular shop replaced the front brakes (pads, rotors). Not long after, my wife who drives the car most of the time, said there was an odd noise/feel when slowing down or stopping. I tested it and when braking, slowing down from a slow speed to a stop there was a faint noise of something rubbing in the front wheel area. After some time, months, it was more noticeable. I checked here and online and read about warped rotors etc. but wasn’t sure that was the problem. It needed some other work this past May so when I took it to my regular shop I mentioned it to them and asked them to check it. They said they didn’t find anything wrong. 
Then later in May I was driving on a small side street and the brakes wouldn’t work unless it went to the floor. It didn’t last long though, went away. 
Now, since the fix, the brakes no longer make that noise. I am wondering therefore if it’s possible that when my regular shop replaced the front brakes that something was damaged which eventually caused (the friction/rubbing noise and) the failure of the HCU/MC? Is that possible or unlikely? 

Thanks for any insights!