It seems that almost all succesfull academics have had distinguished advisors. Is it really true that pedigree defines success?
I don't have a copy of the Krebs article, but I'm going to guess that he didn't mean to imply doom for every doctoral student who doesn't have a world renowned advisor. Your success is up to you and what you do, not some mythical inheritance from your legacy in academia. 

Actually, I worry that if such a thing were true then scholarship would only  go down hill from wherever it started and never upward and outward. People who go beyond the the people who taught them are celebrated, actually, even by (especially by) those educators. 

But, renowned people do have an advantage and they can pass part of that along to their students in some cases. If a person is a star in their field then lots of people want to work with them and they have lots of collaborative opportunities, even if they are often small ones. This means that there are a lot of ideas flying around in the presence of the luminaries and students can get into that sphere and exploit it. They can also exploit the contacts and build their own circle of collaborators. 

But, it is also possible for people to form such rich research groups and seminars even when their own advisors are more modestly "endowed". Find ways to meet and interact with people who know more than you do and are willing to share it. In many fields, that means going to conferences and finding ways to participate there. You can also just correspond with people who might be able to help you put ideas together and focus your research. 

But starting out with an attitude that you can't really succeed because your advisor wasn't in the very top ranks is something of a cop-out. If you really believe it, then it is a self fulfilling prophesy and you aren't likely to work hard enough to move upward in the estimation of your peers. 

Work hard and swim in a sea of ideas, however you can make that happen. Luck helps too, of course. Others may have advantages, but that is true in everything.