Many books, typically fantasy genres, have dream sequences. The reasoning behind the dreams can be used for different purposes, such as a premonition of what is to come. Others show the deeper feelings someone may have about a situation going on in the book. Sometimes, these dream sequences can push a reader out of what is believable given the setting of the story. Each person has their own view on what dreams really mean, whether they be the random firings of your brain during REM, the ability to tell the future, or some meaningful analysis of how you really feel. Someone who sees dreams as a way for the brain to keep you occupied while you sleep using jumbled together memories to create an environment may only accept the idea of dreams being clairvoyant in a fantasy setting. An author who sees memories as being clairvoyant may have that kind of dream sequence in a "normal" setting.
For the author, thinking about the reader may be difficult. While it it not assumed that an author should please anyone but himself, the very point of the dream sequence has ruin a reader's experience. There must be a point to the dream sequence, and if there is not a strong enough case, an author must consider removing it from the story, or conveying what may be important in another way. So far, I have only used a dream sequence once, in "Survival Tautology" to show the mental impact of what a person has gone through after living in a world full of zombies for so long.
Anyone can have a varying opinion on dreams, but as a writer, it is only up to you to determine what is in the dream and thus give it power, if any. If a dream is clairvoyant in real life, the person having the dream has no power over that. If a dream is simply random, the person still has no power of it. In a story, the author has all of the power to make the dream be whatever he wishes.
In fantasy, clairvoyant dreams are readily accepted, so the thought of putting a character in one would be okay on one condition. Even if the world allows a clairvoyant dream, the character still must possess the ability somehow. The other way would be a more powerful being (wizard, psionic, god, etc.) imposes the dream on them for their own purposes. It would seem that when it comes to dream sequences, it is either all or nothing. If a person who normally does not have these types of dreams, it can indicate to the reader that this is important in the story. A character who has a few, with no obvious powers or abilities, can be disruptive for a reader. While an entire story could be written about a character who dreams of the future and must deal with trying to stop these events from happening, or is futile to stop them.
Everything in your story must have a purpose, and regardless of your views on dreams in real life, these are most likely to keep readers from suspending their disbelief.
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