Even at 20 cap {pre LoB definitely, post LoB probably} Elite Abbot simply wasn't run!
Hard was run once in a Blue Moon!
Once we got Multiple ED capped Lvl 25s however it became the standard to run Abbot on Elite but even in the early days of 21-25 Abbots were rare!
I don't think it was Monty Haul that made Abbot "easy" - It was simply that players who'd get ZERO XP from it due to being overlevelled were now able to enter!
It's like if a Lvl 13 character runs Proof is in the Poison - It has nothing to do with gear {Monty Haul} and everything to do with level!
And notice how Mark of Death didn't have the puzzle rooms? OR the Sigil requirement? OR run Litany 4 times {heck they didn't even bother to Epic Litany!}? Yet for some unknown reason the Heroic Raid still has every one!