You state "Today i received an orchid order from abroad and I noticed a strange patterning on a leaf of one of the Cattleya maxima i received....." Is there any chance these plants are "jungle collected". Did they come in bare root? That might explain some of the markings as well as their poor condition.
You also said you put them in the sun. Full sun? That seems risky and quite a shock if they came in bare root and were just potted up. What do the roots look like? Are there any signs of new growths forming?
Cym Ladye