LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION BETWEEN TWO ACR ACFT. OPERATIONAL ERROR.

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WE WERE FLT DH ZERO (ACFT X). OUR CLRNC WAS GIVEN TO COMPANY FLT DH ONE (ACFT Z). THIS PUT US IN A POSSIBLE TFC CONFLICT WITH ACR Y (CONFLICTING TFC ACR Y WAS NEVER OBSERVED) WHICH WAS RESOLVED WITH AN EMER DSCNT FROM FL310 TO FL290 AND A 90 DEG TURN AT 30 DEG BANK FROM 355 DEG TO 270 DEG. THERE WAS QUITE A BIT OF CONFUSION IN ATLANTA CENTER; REFLECTED IN PEOPLE YELLING IN THE BACKGROUND AT ATL CENTER. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED FOLLOWING INFO. THINKS CONFLICTING TFC WAS ACR Y (AIRLINE NAME/TYPE). PRETTY SURE ZTL CTLR WAS TRAINEE AND EMER TURN AND DSCNT WAS ISSUED BY ANOTHER VOICE ON FREQ. I EXPLAINED THAT AT 80 MI NORTH OF TYS THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN CHANGED OVER TO ZID SOON AFTER PASSING TYS. HE THINKS CTLR WAS TRYING TO GIVE THEM VECTORS; BUT WAS USING COMPANY FLT Z CALL SIGN. RIGHT AFTER THEY MADE TURN AND DSCNT TO FL290 THEY WERE CHANGED TO ZID FREQ. THAT IS FIRST TIME THEY HEARD ACR Y ON SAME FREQ. HAD FEELING SOMETHING BAD WAS HAPPENING FROM ANXIETY IN CTLR VOICE SO WERE LOOKING FOR TFC; BUT NEVER DID SEE ACR Y. RIGHT WING MAY HAVE BLOCKED VISION TO RIGHT DURING STEEP EVASIVE TURN. HAS HAD NO FOLLOWUP ON INCIDENT FROM ATC.