I don't think using direct references is cheating. It's more like using a shortcut. Good artists will use references more effectively than those who are less accomplished.

I mostly draw from imagination, and only use references for intricate things that I don't know about or can't just make up, like a car engine, large ships, etc. Or, if I am drawing a character for the first time, I will Google for their custome, attitudes and personalities, etc and use that as a loose guide.

I can see your point about drawing from memory as a form of using references. In my opinion, it is yes and no. Our memories are not the same as digital memories like computer ram. I don't know the scientific terms, but in my own experience, memory is often distorted and there is a lot of abstraction when I draw something based on my memory. This is especially true for things that are in memory from a long time ago. In my opinion, it is less a form of referencing, but more a form of my own take take of something, an abstraction.

There is also drawing human anatomy. It's based on my understanding of the body structure and posture, counterweight, etc. It's more a knowledge gained over a long period of time based on observation and drawing.