I mean, all game enemies technically read inputs, but what was especially annoying about this character is that he has attack chains that specifically wait for you to do inputs like attack or dodge before he launches his attack, like in here 'https://v.redd.it/qrpsnj3s2e9b1' where he holds his staff up waiting for PC to do something.
Anyways, all the bosses in this game felt super cheaty like that.
Yeah its a known bug, i think its fixed in 0.19.4, which should be released in the coming weeks i believe.